Jack Frost
by TheObsessor11294
Summary: Cameron Makhent was your average teenage criminal. Obnoxious, cocky, and dangerous...Until he was given a second chance. Please Read and Review! Slight OOC
1. A Second Chance

Jack Frost Young Justice Cameron Junior

Cameron was sitting silently at the table in the middle of the "visitors" *cough*interrogation*cough* room, quietly nursing a bloody nose. The blood was uncomfortably hot against his naturally chilled skin, and the numerous attempts to wipe it away were leaving bloody smears against his lip, the bright reds a stark contrast to his pale skin.

The fellow inmates had been especially rough with him, when they found out about his unintentional involvement in the failed escape attempt. Granted, he'd had to fight off a few extra inmates to cover the faux terror twins escape. That hadn't been very good for his rep either. At the same time, he was both guilty and insanely grateful to find out his father had been immediately detained and placed into solitary confinement with several of the other ice villains.

At least he was saved a couple extra nasty bruises. As he lifted his arm for another swipe at his nose, he winced, his muscles giving a throb along his ribs at the sudden awkward movement. Granted, the bruises he _had_ been given weren't anything to laugh at either.

He wasn't a doctor, but the amount of pain he had in his rib had to be bad enough to be a fracture or something. This was one of the rare moments he was infinitely glad for his ice powers, glancing warily at the two way mirror as he casually crossed his arms across the table, and secretly placing a cool hand against his side, sighing through his nose with faint relief.

He didn't even know why he was here anyway. The camera film and the two junior Justice League members already knew what happened, so why had he been dragged from his cell with only hints from guards suggesting he was about to have an important meeting? He leaned back in his chair, lifting his chin to look up at the immaculately white ceiling tiles in boredom. If it was a news meeting or some bull crap like that he'd make extra sure to make a few inappropriate hand signals at the camera.

Suddenly, the locks in the door turned. Cameron stiffened, unconsciously straightening in his seat as the door opened. A black figure swept in, the door shutting quietly after him. Two white eyes glared down at from the darkness of the man's mask, his tall and muscular form menacing even in the stale whiteness of the room.

Cam's eyes widened.

_**Oh shit.**_

()()()()()()()()

Cameron sat rigid to his seat, not even daring to breathe as the Batman stood like a statue, staring him down with unblinking eyes through his mask.

Suddenly, he was very self conscious of the now flaking red bloodstains across his nose and lip, though he didn't dare raise a finger to wipe it away. God knows the bat would think him reaching to attack and break his neck before he could say "icicle junior".

So the young felon couldn't help but flinch when the Bat suddenly strode over to the opposite side of the table. He didn't deign himself to sit down in the chair across from the young juvenile, but remained standing imposingly above him.

"Icicle Junior." It wasn't a question.

Cameron forced his suddenly numb lips to move. "Y-yes." He couldn't even be bothered to kick himself for stuttering.

"We have been… notified of your involvement in the escape attempt." The man stated, his voice rough with a sandy edge to it.

_Tommy…_ His stunned brain supplied _Tommy told him…_ Not really knowing how to respond, he made himself nod, the movement stiff and stilted.

"You aided your father, Icicle Sr. to break out the prisoners, and broke into the female sections of the prison so they could finish the attempt to overthrow Belle Reve." Cameron nodded again dumbly, remembering the fight that broke out afterwards between the ice users...

"And you aided two of our heroes in their escape from the facility. I want to know why." The man said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the teen.

"I…." Cameron's lips parted to speak, to deny the part, to claim that it was all a mistake, and suddenly stopped, the denial dying on his tongue, evaporating like steam under a desert sun. Why had he helped the two teens? Tommy had betrayed his trust, his crush turning out to be an alien, and his father's plans crumbling around his ears. And yet, strangely enough, he wasn't that angry; I mean, sure his father was going to have the fit of the century, but he wasn't mad at _them_. And then, when he heard the pounding footsteps of the few straggler inmates who weren't wearing collars running towards them, he heard the words streaming from his mouth as his body moved of its own volition.

"_Go. Run, I'll cover you." He said glancing at the startled couple as he stepped in front of them. _

"_Junior I-" Superboy started, his southern accent all but dropped at the incoming danger. _

"_Go. And make sure my Dad doesn't catch you." He had been standing there, wondering when exactly his mouth suddenly began speaking for him, when another shout came down the hall, even closer than before. _

_A figure in an orange jumpsuit darted around the corner, spotting the teens ahead. "Go!" He had yelled, shouting at the clone. Superboy had blinked, and then solemnly nodded grabbing the young Martian's hand and darting through the female segment of the prison, leaving the young delinquent behind to hold off their pursuers_.

It had been a week since the incident. He had fought valiantly against at least 5 prisoners before the guards arrived and beat them all back into submission. Shortly the next day, word spread like wildfire that he was to blame for the failed escape attempt. His life became hell. He became a massive target at the prison, and thanks to the collar, was completely helpless at the hands of the other inmates. The guards didn't blink an eye at the violence, merely watching as the kid was beaten to a pulp at the hands of the other inmates. The lazy farts probably thought it would help the angry prisoners to take their rage out on him, rather than them.

The only time they interfered was when a fellow inmate nearly took it too far, and began strangling him. The bruises still lingered below the orange collar of his prison jumpsuit, the black and blue bruises a stark contrast to his pale blue tinged skin. But, despite the numerous beatings he had gotten, he didn't question why he helped the two heroes escape. He just… _did_.

"You don't know." The gruff voice startled him out of his thoughts. He flinched, looking back up at the tall black figure above him. The man's head ever so slightly leaned back, as if in consideration.

Cameron winced. God knows how many heroes would use that against him. Ugh, he'd never be taken seriously ever again. Not that he was ever taken seriously, even by the villain population. Well, now he was officially his father's failure. _A villain with a heart. How effin poetic._

Batman was watching him again, his mask covered eyes staring unnervingly at the young juvenile. It was then that Junior realized he had unconsciously been scowling at himself, and quickly schooled his expression. "So what?" He snapped, slipping back into the persona of the cocky meta punk. "What's it matter to you? You gonna lock me up for it? Cause I'm already in prison!" He mocked, spreading his arms wide to the room.

The Dark Knight didn't blink an eyelash at the the shout (not that he could see if he did or not) and Junior huffed and slouched back in his seat, crossing his arms in irritation. He gave another sloppy wipe of his nose with his knuckle, and glared off to the side, clenching his jaw.

Stupid heroes and their power plays. Why couldn't he have been interrogated by Flash or Captain Marvel? At least they wouldn't have the brains to call him out on his confused morals. But no, they had to call out the freaking Dark Knight, the Sherlock Holmes of the super hero league to have him figured out in under a minute. _God damn it_.

"Superboy seemed convinced you did it of your own free will." Batman responded after a moment's silence. Cameron stiffened. _That must be Tommy's real name_, he thought, _or code name. _

"What does he know…?" He replied bitterly, his lip curling.

Batman raised an eyebrow.

Then, after a few minutes silence, he appeared to come to a silent decision. "This is a Justice League communicator." He stated, and placed a small earpiece on the table. "This signal cannot be traced, so don't bother giving it to one of the other cellmates to dissect. Keep this on your person at all times, and don't let the guards see it. If you change your mind and want to talk, use this."

"Wait, what?" Cameron started, staring at the device. Was this some kind of bizarre trap? What kind of league member hands out private cell phones to their enemy? He looked back up at the dark knight like he'd suddenly grown two more heads. "Am I getting punk'd?"

The man's mouth twitched ever so minutely, and moved towards the door.

And paused. "You should get that rib looked at."

Cameron froze, eyes widening into saucers as the man stalked out.

()()()()()()()()

Cameron limped back to his cell, the guards pushing him in roughly as the door slid shut. He hissed, stumbling as his ankle burned and ached angrily at the abuse. He hopped over to the bottom bunk, too tired and in pain to even think about trying to climb the ladder on one leg. Junior eased himself onto the stiff, thin mattress and sighed through his nose, propping his ankle up on his pillow.

His rib felt even worse than yesterday. A couple of the other inmates had ganged up on him again today, and instead of beating him on the ground like they usually did (and letting him curl into a protective ball), they dragged him to a corner of the laundry room while the guards were distracted by the other inmates, and two of them held him up while the others began beating the sense out of him. They took immense pleasure out of beating his extra sensitive injuries, and what felt like a severely bruised ankle; it was an angry bluish purple the last time he checked it. Even his cool skin did nothing for the injuries anymore, which were bone deep and aching.

They still hadn't released his father yet, which he was still conflicted about. On one hand, he was immensely grateful that his inevitable punishment at his father's hand had been postponed. On the other hand…. It was going to be less than pretty when his father _was_ released. He closed his eyes, and was about to turn onto his side when he felt something hard in his pocket. He paused, and pulled out the communicator from yesterday, taking a moment to stare at it.

Batman had handed the device to him for a reason, and it wasn't charity. The Batman had probably hacked into the cameras here and seen everything long before he came in for that meeting, he was sure of it.

He swallowed; his throat suddenly very dry. His father would probably be talking him into handing the device over to Dr. Freeze or Captain Cold or one of the other technologically advanced ice villains until he got out of solitary. Then he'd shoo him off while he and the other 'big boys' worked on whatever scheme they were coming up with, and leave him in the dark until they were ready. After all, that was how it always worked.

_But he's not here…_ A voice murmured at the back of his head. "_And I don't know what to do_." He growled back at the voice, glaring at the tiny ear mic in his hand. He tossed it onto the bed and pulled his knees to his chest, and anxiously gripped his hair and took a shuddering breath, suddenly feeling tears beginning to form behind his eyelids.

He shut them angrily, and continued to hold his hair in a death grip, trying to hold in any semblance of normalcy he had left. "I don't know what to do…" He murmured to the empty cell...

()()()()()()()()

He sat in his cell, staring at the communicator. It had now been 3 days since Batman's visit, and he'd had enough. He's now had an almost permanent nose bleed thanks to the daily dose of abuse, and his side is one solid punch away from finally cracking.

That and he was now sporting a head injury, courtesy of the Brick, who had smashed it onto the edge of one of the cafeteria tables.

A few minutes after that he'd vomited on the floor.

Now, having been 'assisted' to his cell, he was left staring at the communicator he'd left on his bed. He was becoming desperate, and he didn't know what else to do. He couldn't keep going on like this.

Quietly, and with trembling fingers, he picked it up. Cradling it in his hands, he gently pushed the on button. "This is Batman." The startlingly familiar gruff voice stated.

Cameron paused, suddenly not quite knowing what to say. The communicator was silent, obviously waiting for him to speak.

"Batman…?" He asked quietly, and glanced at the cell door. There was no one nearby.

"I see you've decided to use the communicator after all." Batman replied smoothly.

Cameron sighed bitterly at the device, and lowered his head, swiping his nose. "Yeah, I changed my mind."

"Good. Now, I would like to get down to business." Batman said. "Superboy has been making a request that you join his team."

"Wait- his team?" Cameron sat back stiffly, and rubbed his temple, the migraine that had been plaguing him all day suddenly intensifying. "He wants me to join the junior super heroes?"

"Yes." Batman said patiently.

"But why me?" He asked. "I mean I know I covered his butt when he escaped but I'm a villain. He's a hero. We're on opposite sides of the battlefield. Why would he even consider something like that?"

"Perhaps he saw something you both have in common." Batman supplied.

Cameron put the communicator down on the bed, and let his face sink into his hands. God he was so confused. And tired. And _**God**_ he ached.

"Superboy can be rash, but he generally is a good judge of character. While you may not trust him, he certainly trusts you. Will you join him?" Batman asked.

Cameron glanced down at the communicator, considering hanging up and pretending nothing happened, or handing it over to one of the more geeky metas to examine. Then he remembered. How Superboy had been friendly to him, had protected him from the other inmates, and even when he foiled his father's plan, he didn't attack him from behind. _"It reeks when you're Dad's __**The Man**__, you know?" "Believe me, I know."_

His nose had begun to drip blood again. He hastily wiped it, and took a deep breath. His father was going to kill him for this. No turning back.

"Okay… I'm in."


	2. Portals and Introductions

Batman and Black Canary had arrived early the next day, quickly signing off paperwork to release him into Justice League custody and put him under their parole. Batman hadn't commented on his limp or on and off bloody nose, though his lingering gaze and ever so slightly stiffened demeanor when he saw him again said otherwise.

Black Canary on the other hand, was a bit more obvious in her concern, with a mother hen frown and constant glancing in his direction.

And Cameron, while ever the flirt; was too exhausted and strangely relieved to be bothered to try to hit on the older heroine.

They took him out of the prison to an armored vehicle, cuffing his hands while Batman and Black Canary sat down across from him. They rode in silence, the drivers dropping them off in Jackson, Mississippi.

"Jackson?" He asked, glancing at Black Canary, the drivers already pulling away.

"We'll be able to get back to base this way." Batman said.

They walked a short distance before they stopped in front of a warehouse. Batman turned to him. "I'm afraid this as far as we go willingly. Superboy may trust you, but you're going to have to work to earn the leagues. You're going to have to be blindfolded before we go to the base."

Cameron opened his mouth to argue. Honestly, did he think he did this to himself to get their trust?…..Okay that could be possible, but he didn't!

Black Canary placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's just for security purposes. We still have some work to do if you're going to be considered a hero."

Cameron desperately tried to come up with a clever argument, but heaved a sigh of defeat when he couldn't. "Fine. Pin the tail on the mysterious location it is." He grouched, crossing his arms.

Black Canary smiled, obviously holding back a chuckle as she produced a blindfold out of her pocket. After securely tightening the blindfold over his eyes and nose (no peeking at the ground), they walked further down the street. Black Canary took his hand, despite the tension that came with the sudden contact, and guided him around any obstacles they passed. Then, there was a sound of a door sliding open, and the punching of several keys.

"Recognized: Designation 02 Batman." There was a whirring sound, and then it was silent. "Batman? What was that?" Cameron asked nervously. God forbid they had walked him into a trap and then get him electrocuted or something.

"It's alright. It's just the portal we're taking." Canary reassured, temporarily releasing his hand to type something on the keypad.

"Wait, portal? I thought you said we were going to the base?!" Cameron asked, suddenly feeling very vulnerable in the blindfold. Oh great, he was probably going to be interrogated there too. _Just play into their hands why don't cha!_

"We are, don't worry, we're just using the nearby portal to get there." Black Canary said, and stopped typing. He heard her step over to him, and flinched when he felt her take his hands. "I can wait until you're ready if you'd like."

Cameron immediately stiffened. Nobody waited until he was ready. Even when he was 5 years old, his father was already attempting to throw him into his schemes, god knew how many close calls those were. At eight his father was teaching him how to fight, tossing him like a ragdoll around their, or should he say His lair, until he grew fed up with his lack of skill and stalked off for a beer. Even now, with his fathers plans, he was literally a sitting duck until the last possible second when his father told him the villain's plans. Having someone wait for him? Not. Normal.

"No. No I'm ready." He lied_. I'm not ready. I'm __**SO **__**NOT**__ ready for whatever the hell this is. _

He was given the feeling Black Canary had given him a look, and tried to square his shoulders more convincingly.

"Alright, Here we go." She pulled him forward.

Cameron could feel the energy bending around him and the ground leave his feet. He held Canary's hand in a white knuckled grip, gasping. And suddenly, as if it had never left, the ground returned, and the air became still again.

"What the HELL was that?!" Cameron yelled, and reached up for the blindfold. Canary didn't stop him, and he ripped it off to reveal a large room, with a carved stone interior and two hallways leading out in separate directions. A large holo-projector hung from the ceiling, and the sensor pad below was empty.

"Welcome to Base." Black Canary said.

"Where'd tall dark and demonic go?" Cameron asked, looking around warily for the tall figure.

"He's probably making preparations with the team now. I'll show you around later, but first let's get you cleaned up." Black Canary said, and started to walk away.

Cameron, seeing no alternative, quickly began to follow.

()()()()()()()

"Ow!" Cameron yelped, flinching away from Black Canary's hand from his spot on one of the infirmary beds.

"Yep, looks like a mild concussion." She confirmed, and moved away to get something out of the infirmary's cabinets.

"Nothin' I can't handle." Cameron said, rubbing his wrists. Those handcuffs were a little tighter than he thought they were supposed to be.

Black Canary raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't comment. "Any other injuries you'd care to let us in on?"

Needless to say it had taken a bit of arguing and questioning to even get him admit to maybe having "a slight headache" rather than admit to the heavy blood stains on his lip. Speaking of which…

"God damn it!" He cursed, feeling the blood beginning to trickle down his nose again.

"I guess that answers that." Black Canary said with an amused smile, and handed him an icepack and a tissue. He didn't bother to respond, giving an irritated pout before snatching the icepack and putting it to his head. He didn't bother with the tissue, simply swiping the blood away with a knuckle.

"You do realize it won't stop bleeding if you don't clot it right?" The older heroine commented, holding out the tissue more pointedly.

"It'll stop bleeding eventually." He said, even as it continued to drip down his lip.

Black Canary rolled her eyes and sighed, placing the tissue down on the bedside table. "Alright then, we'll play it your way. How about your ankle? You good with that too?" She asked, crossing her arms while looking down at the appendage, currently dangling over the side of the mattress.

Cameron looked down at it as well, the blue and purple bruise hidden under the prison suit's pant leg. It was beginning to swell under the strain of walking around so often. "Just- just give me an ankle brace or something and it'll be fine." He mumbled, still maintaining his angry attitude despite the sudden uncertainty that laced it.

Black Canary paused, once more giving him a mother hen frown, before nodding and going to the cabinet to find the ace bandages.

Honestly, he didn't even know why he was here. Why should they care if he was injured? Why **did** they? He was a criminal, they should have been expecting this. Or were they really that naive about how the criminal and justice system worked? And besides, wouldn't this help reassure the team that he wasn't in any position to turn on them? Easy to keep under their thumb while he was weak?

He shook his head free of the thoughts. No, he was being given a second chance that was ridiculously hard to come by. He couldn't blow this opportunity. Not if he truly wanted his freedom.

"Thanks." He said, biting his lip as he took the bandages from Black Canary's hand. He turned away from her slightly, blocking the limb from sight, and tugged off his shoes. He quickly began to wrap it around his ankle, ignoring the stare Black Canary was giving him.

It was when he had finished wrapping his ankle and was making the final knots that Batman chose to make his entrance.

"The team has received the message and will be arriving shortly." He announced.

"Whatever. Let's get this over with." Cameron said in a bored tone, tugging on his sneaker again.

Batman raised an eyebrow, and exchanged a look with Black Canary, who merely shrugged at the young juvenile's behavior.

"Before we meet up with the team, there a few points of discussion we have to go over before we introduce you." Batman intoned, moving over to the bed.

Cameron, stiffening ever so slightly at the Dark Knight's proximity, turned to him. "Like what?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Batman chose to ignore that question, and instead returned his own. "As you know, Superboy requested that you become a part of our young justice league. You may or may not recognize the other members of the team from past experience, but there is evidence that you might have a past with one of them. An Artemis Crock."

"Arty's on the team?!" He exclaimed, sitting up straight, and causing his breath to hitch as the muscles pulled over his ribs.

"Artemis is Green Arrow's protégé. The team doesn't know about her family's background, so it would be best for both of you if you didn't mention it." Batman warned, his voice leaving no room for argument.

"You didn't tell them?" He asked, sliding off the bed and easing his weight onto his ankle. He flexed it. _Yep, much better._

"The League felt the information was on a need to know basis." Batman replied smoothly.

Cameron nodded. After the business his father occasionally participated in with her father's, he often just spent afternoons playing and hanging out with her while waiting for his father to call him in. He knew she had always tried hard to not get involved with her father's activities, especially after what happened to her mother…. "Okay, I know how to keep it zipped."

Batman nodded, and turned towards the hall. "Follow me."

()()()()()()()

Hey, second chapter is up! Hope everyone likes it! Please Read and Review! Suggestions and comments welcome!


	3. Of Pies and Friends

The Team was assembled in front of the portal room, talking to each other about the announcement. Cameron suddenly wished he could take off the collar just so he could have his ice armor to protect him he felt so vulnerable.

"Maybe he's giving us a mission." The Green martian girl suggested, raising a blue gloved finger to her chin in thought.

"Maybe, but why wouldn't he just wait until after school? We usually end up here around the same time anyway…" Kid Flash said.

"I don't know bay watch. Maybe he called us in because he knew you wouldn't get here until you finished off your fridge first before you came to empty ours." A blonde green clad archer commented.

_Wow, Arty's really come a long way._ Cameron thought, glancing up and down the young archer's form. He watched as Robin the famous boy wonder turn and spot his mentor. "Hey Batman, what's with the important announcement?" He asked, looking at his mentor expectantly.

Cameron hesitated, almost afraid to follow Batman beyond the safety of the shadows, before Batman stepped forward. "I needed you all here to inform you that we've found a possible new recruit for your team." He stated. All of the team members perked, including, who he had to guess was Superboy, although, it was kinda weird to see him without the stylized bleach blonde hair, piercings and goth accessories.

"You did?" He asked, his voice a deep baritone without the southern twang in it. His blue eyes were hopeful, and Cameron felt even more uncomfortable then before. What had he gotten himself into?

Cameron took a deep breath, and stepped into the light. "Hey."

Well…it was the best thing he could think up on the spot that didn't sound vaguely threatening.

All of the heroes tensed, even the martian was startled by his appearance. Artemis was frozen to the spot, her mouth slightly agape, while Aqualad, Robin and Kid Flash jumped into battle ready positions. But Superboy jumped in front of them. "Wait, woah guys! He's with Batman!"

Cameron watched as the group quickly became conflicted. "Dude! He's a criminal!" Kid Flash yelled.

"And he's a friend!" Superboy shot back, glaring darkly at the redhead, who quickly returned with his own.

_And I'm right here. _Cameron added mentally, watching the teens begin to squabble over his presence.

"Batman, you know he's a bad guy. Haven't you seen this guy's track record?! Major 'traught!" Robin said, turning to his mentor.

Batman narrowed his eyes. "Yes, I have seen his records Robin." He responded in a particularly dark tone that could rival Icicle Senior's. Robin's jaw clicked shut. "But Bell Reve has agreed to release him into the league's custody on the condition he be placed on parole until we decide he is ready to be placed onto the team."

"But-" Kid Flash began.

"This isn't up for discussion." Batman said, leaving positively no room for argument. Kid Flash's jaw followed Robin's example and shut. "Black Canary will be joining you shortly for your training session."

And with that (sort of) goodbye, He swept away to the portal, being swallowed up by the yellow beam.

"He shouldn't be here." Kid Flash said definitively as soon as Batman was gone.

"I'm still here." Cameron said loudly, seemingly snapping them out of whatever reverie they seemed to be in.

Superboy quickly turned to him. "Hey." He greeted. He paused to glance over the faint stains on his lip. "What happened?" He asked, completely oblivious to the row of eyes behind him that joined in the scanning of their new companion.

"Oh you know, the usual pecking order." Cameron shrugged off the concern, determined to salvage what little was left of his reputation before he was reduced to a simpering child. He looked Superboy over once more. "You look way different without all that gaudy jewelry and hair."

Superboy smiled ruefully. "Wasn't my choice believe me." He said. He turned to look at the team. "I'm sure you know most of the team." He said, gesturing towards the group.

"Yeah, but I haven't met blondie yet though." He said, smirking at Artemis' reaction. She stiffened and became flustered.

"A-Artemis." She said, struggling to maintain a clear expression.

"The name's Icicle beautiful, but you can call me Cameron." He said flirtatiously, smirking as he held out a hand to shake hers.

"Yeah, we've all seen your mug shot." Kid Flash snapped.

"Okay, no touching the girlfriend, I get it." Cameron said, raising his hands up in surrender, backing away from Artemis.

"I'm/She's not his/my girlfriend!" Kid and Artemis shouted, both of them turning a bright shade of tomato red.

Cameron couldn't help but laugh at their reactions, before stopping with a barely covered wince as the pain in his side flared at the movement.

"Okay, touchy much." He ended with a soft chuckle.

"And you know M'gann." Superboy said, turning him to the Martian girl.

"Nice to meet you properly." He said, shaking her hand.

"You too." She said nervously, and quickly retreated her hand.

"And Robin and Kaldur." Cameron nodded towards them.

"I'll show you to your room. We have it all set up for you." Superboy said, and began to pull him away down the hall

_Well, it wasn't the best introduction of all time. But it's a start right?_

()()()()()()()

"Are you serious?"

"Nope, it's yours." Superboy said with a smile, gesturing to the room within.

The walls were a bright yellow, with brick lining the wall with the bookshelves. There was a fancy desk in the corner, a blue couch, and a bed (complete with a down blanket!) in the corner.

"This is so freaking _nice_!" He laughed, walking further into the room, and even saw a closet stocked with fresh clothes. "God, this is better than any hideout my Dad ever had!" He said, flopping down onto the couch.

"Really?" Superboy asked, walking into the room.

"Well, for one the walls don't have holes in them." He said with a smile. He looked down at the couch. "And this isn't moldy or beaten within an inch of its life."

Superboy frowned slightly. "You really live it rough?" He asked, sitting down ext to him on the couch.

"Yeah, although, we happen to live a bit rougher than most criminals. We don't exactly have the 'funds' to pay for fancy underground playhouses." Cameron explained, rolling his eyes.

"Oh." Superboy looked down, unsure how to respond to that.

Cameron leaned back and took a deep breath, simply enjoying the feeling of being somewhere comfortable for the first time in his life.

Superboy fidgeted slightly, and then sat up. "Would you….like to take a tour?" He asked, not sure if he should bother with Cameron who looked very comfortable sitting where he was.

"Maybe later. I think I'm gonna take a nap." He said, and stood, excitedly making his way over to the (in his opinion) immaculate bed in the corner.

"Sure." Superboy nodded, and turning to leave. "I'll wake you later for dinner."

"Aye aye Captain." Cameron saluted, and slipped under the sheets, falling asleep shortly after his head hit the pillow.

()()()()()()()

"Did you now about this Robin?" Kid Flash asked, looking sharply over at the younger teen from his seat on the couch, as if the Boy Wonder and Batman had been conspiring about their new team mates for the past week.

"Believe it or not, I didn't know. Granted I had my suspicions, but the most information Batman was giving me was that he was 'thinking.'" Boy Wonder responded, folding his first two fingers into quotation marks.

"Do you Kaldur?" Kid Flash asked.

"No I did not." Responded the Atlantean from his position seated on the opposite armrest. "But, needless to say I was surprised at Batman's decision to bring him to the base."

"Why's that?" M'gann asked, turning to look at Kaldur from the Kitchen.

"Icicle Junior is the son of a villain. He could very easily leak out secrets of the league to his father and expose our identities." Kaldur explained.

"Cameron wouldn't do that." Artemis piped up. They turned to her in surprise, and she blinked suddenly realizing what she said. "I mean, the league wouldn't just let him run off and do whatever he liked unsupervised…" She said, fidgeting on the stool she was sitting on.

"She's right." Robin nodded. "Batman wouldn't allow him to wander off. Besides, he's still wearing the inhibitor collar from Belle Reve. There's not much he actually _can_ do."

"Because nothing would need to be done." They started, whipping around to see Connor standing in the doorway.

"Connor…" M'gann started, letting the bowl and spoon float away as she moved toward her boyfriend.

He held up a hand. "I know he's a criminal. But he helped me and M'gann escape Belle Reve, and I don't know about you guys, but I think that makes him a good guy." He declared, and left, his footsteps fading away. They were silent, until Artemis stood.

"I'm going to take a walk."

()()()()()()()

Artemis stepped into Cameron's room and looked over to see him fast asleep in his new bed. She smiled at the scene. Good ole Cameron.

She tiptoed over and looked town at the sleeping older teen. She felt the smile fade away. Although his face was relaxed in sleep, the faint bloodstains that marred it told another story. His arm, which was laid on top of the blanket, had faint bruises along it, as if multiple hands had been gripping the limb.

"Oh Cam…" She murmured, and sat down on what little free space there was on the mattress. He let out a faint groan and began to toss and turn.

"Dad Stop…" He mumbled as he shifted, his face pinching in discomfort. Suddenly, Artemis realized what was going on. He was beginning to have a nightmare.

"Cam, Cam wake up." She said, and shook his shoulder. He didn't stir, if anything, the jostling seemed to intensify his dream as his head tossed and turned.

"Cam. Cameron!" She said loudly, and grasped his arms. But as her hand bumped against his side roughly, he gave a sharp pained gasp, his eyes snapping open.

"Ow!" He yelped, wrenching his arm free of her to sit up and slap his cool hand to the wounded area. "God, what?" He asked, looking up to see Artemis staring at him in surprise. "Arty, what are you doing in here?" He asked in a harsh whisper, still cradling his rib.

"I came to see you smart one." She whispered back loudly. "After that little introduction of yours everyone's all suspicious and think you're a spy."

"Wait, what?" Cameron asked, momentarily forgetting the sharp pain in his side. "That's ridiculous. I don't have the nerves to do something like that."

"I know that. But the Team doesn't." Artemis said, and leaned back with a huff. "But you sure didn't help with the whole flirty act before."

"Hey, I can't help but be flirty. I mean you've really-…." Cameron trailed off abruptly, suddenly not quite knowing how to announce your childhood best friend that she has a very nice body without sounding creepy. "Uh…."

"Don't be gross Cam." She chuckled, playfully smacking him on the shoulder. He laughed, and tried to hide a wince at the mild bruising under the shoulder she had just pushed.

"So, you're a hero huh?" He asked, once their laughter had died down.

"Uh-huh. I'm Green Arrow's protege. Artemis just happened to work for being my codename as an archer."

"Yeah, while I'm stuck with Icicle Junior." Cameron said with a pout.

Artemis laughed. "Well, we can always come up with a new one."

"Can heroes do that?" Cameron asked.

"I think so. I don't think Robin's too keen on keeping "Robin the Boy Wonder" when he's 30." Artemis said, and Cameron laughed.

"Oh yeah, not the best pick up line at that age." Cameron chuckled, and leaned back against the matte grey headboard of his bed.

"So, what do you think of the place so far?" Artemis asked leaning forward.

"It's freaking fantastic. Do all heroes live like this?" Cameron asked, looking over at the empty bookcase. _Note to self: Get some stuff to fill the shelves._

"As far as I know, yeah. But most of us go home to our real homes at the end of the day, and most of us still have school to go to. Superboy and M'gann stay here though with Red Tornado, he's in charge of our team." Artemis said.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door's entrance. They turned to see Superboy standing there, looking somewhat confused at the scene but other wise relaxed.

"Hey Superboy." Artemis greeted. "I was just telling him about the cave."

"Oh, good." Superboy said, blinking. He walked over to the bed. "We can give a mini tour while we head to dinner."

"Alright." Cameron said, kicking the blankets off. "I'm ready to grab some grub."

"I'll come with." Artemis said, and followed them out of the room, letting the door hiss shut behind them.

()()()()()()()

_Wow_. Cameron thought, staring out across the kitchen counter. _This was a lot more awkward than I thought it was going to be_.

Because whenever the Team thought he wasn't looking, they would be watching him like he was about to snap and go Joker on them. But as soon as he looked up from his meal to look at them, their eyes shot down to their own plates, innocently poking at their food.

Artemis tried to give him a comforting smile, but it didn't help with the awkwardness. Especially since Cameron knew when, and when not to speak. And he had the feeling that if he spoke a syllable, the redhead would be the first to leap on it.

_Though,_ he mused as he watched them out of the corner of his eye. _It looks like __**someone**__ has to break the tension. _

"So…." He began.

Everyone's attention darted to him, and he paused, before continuing past the sudden lump in his throat. _Damn, it was much easier to do this around Dad. _

"How was your day?" He asked, his voice slightly stilted from his nerves.

"Other than having a criminal and possible spy forced onto the team, today was peachy." Kid Flash said irritably as he bit into the slice of pie M'gann had prepared for dinner.

_Yep, Called it._ He said, unfazed by the personal attack. His father often pulled the same stuff when he was in a particularly bad mood.

"Wally, that's enough." Artemis said, staring down the red head from her seat next to Cameron.

"No, actually it's not." Wally shot back, standing up from his seat. "Not only is the cave not safe anymore, I can't even take my costume off to eat in front of this guy!" He snapped, pointing an accusing finger at the young juvie. "He shouldn't be here and he knows it!"

"I have a name." Cameron said, narrowing his eyes at the speedster. Wally froze, startled by his subject's words, and turned away.

"I'm going home." And without another word, he zipped off down the hall, leaving a small breeze in his wake.

Cameron sighed, and glanced at the other members of the team. "Sorry M'gann." He apologized, half stumbling across the odd pronunciation of the Martian's name. "The pie was really good. But I guess I'm really not hungry tonight."

She nodded dumbly, and watched as he emptied the plate into the trash and began to wash the dishes. The faint clicking of a fork against the plate told him one of them was resuming eating, but he couldn't be bothered about who.

Suddenly, a chair scraped, and a faintly tanned hand took a plate out of his hand. "Go to bed Cam. I can handle this." Artemis said, and jerked her head to the hallway where their bedrooms were located.

Glancing over the rest of them (It was Robin who had resumed eating casually), and avoiding Superboy's gaze, he nodded, and quickly made his way out of the kitchen, struggling not to run down the hall, and away from them.

_I was right._ He decided, as he flopped onto his bed, having changed into a loose tank and sweatpants. _It was much easier around Dad._


	4. Homefront AKA Fire and Ice

Cameron groaned, a deep burning throb at the back of his skull rousing him from his subconscious. He opened his eyes to see flames crackling above him. He blinked slowly, the fire was in the sadly familiar shape of prison bars, and that was what caused the cold fleeting rush of adrenaline through his veins. He gasped, sitting up to find himself trapped, and memories began to assault him rapidly all at once.

The sudden yelling waking him, the intruders, the fire, the shouting, the flood, Superboy's yell, being forced to run, and then darkness.

"Good, you're awake." Kaldur's voice stated. Cameron whipped around to see the young Atlantean, sweating like a horse, holding M'gann in his lap.

"Where's Superboy and Kid?" He asked, turning back to try and peer over the edge, pointedly ignoring the sweat beginning to build around his neck and forehead as well as the fact he was still in his pajamas from last night.

"They're down below. They welded some metal to hold them in place." Kaldur said, and shook his head, as if trying to clear it. "Robin and Artemis don't know…"

Cameron stiffened. _Arty…_ "Where are the bots?" He asked, nervously touching his inhibitor collar, wishing desperately he could take it off.

"They're likely at the tubes now, waiting for them to arrive." Kaldur said, his breathing getting heavier.

"You okay? Cause you're not lookin' so hot, no pun intended." Cameron commented, scooting closer to him. The Atlantean was looking strained, drenched with sweat, his eyelids fluttering as he struggled to breath in the hot, dry air.

The Atlantean shook his head once more. "We Atlanteans are vulnerable to heat, as are Martians. M'gann needs help, and soon or else she may not make it." He said, looking down at the green skinned girl in concern. Cameron looked down at her. She was looking pained, even in unconsciousness, and her normally emerald green skin was now a pale lime.

Suddenly, a thought occurred. "Wait, give her to me." Cameron said, holding his arms out.

"What?" Kaldur asked, blinking at him and subconsciously tightening his webbed grip on M'gann.

"My skin." He said, and pressed his hand against the Atlantean's. Kaldur tensed at the unexpected contact, and then blinked in shock at the appendage. "My core body temperature is lower than yours. She'll have a better chance to keep cool with me than with you."

"That could work…" Kaldur murmured. He nodded. "Alright,"

He carefully passed M'gann over to Cameron, who awkwardly tried to settle her across his lap and keep her cool without totally invading her space. Regardless, as her hot skin came in contact with his naturally cool skin, she gave a quiet sigh of relief in her sleep. Cameron shared a look of relief with Kaldur, before an explosion suddenly sounded in the hall.

"They found them…" Kaldur murmured, and glanced down at the entrance that now seemed so far away.

()()()()()()()()()()

It had been a tense half an hour hearing the explosions and fighting echoing down the hallways, and they became tense when they heard the silence that fell afterwards.

"Do you think….?" Kaldur began.

"No. They're fine. They wouldn't give up so easily. They wouldn't." Cameron said firmly, but subconsciously held M'gann a little closer. _Arty's fine, she's been through worse. They've got to be fine._ After all, they were their only hope.

Suddenly, a voice frighteningly similar to Red Tornado's echoed throughout the cavern. "Attention Robin. Attention Artemis. You have exactly 10 minutes to surrender, or the lives of your teammates will be extinguished."

"They're going to kill us?!" Cameron yelped, turning to look at Kaldur fearfully. Needless to say, they could hear the renewed struggles down below from Kid Flash and Superboy.

It was just that moment that the Fire droid suddenly flew in, riding on a tower of fire. Cameron gulped, only now properly seeing her for the first time. She wasn't beautiful by any means, looking more like any store manikin if it weren't for the red paint, fiery golden stripe wrapped around her form, and the glowing red eyes. Well, the last detail was a recent addition as due to the flame cage that was now stoked and raised to a harsher level. Kaldur grimaced, and Cameron ducked his head, trying to shield M'gann from the now overwhelming heat.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the droid now begin to raise the water level higher, in an attempt to drown Superboy and KidFlash. "Nine minutes, and 45 seconds."

()()()()()()()

"8 Minutes." The droid intoned stiffly, staring at his two captives in the water.

"How're you holdin' up?" Cameron whispered to Kaldur, swiping sweat from his forehead.

"Not very well…" Kaldur admitted, now sweating bullets under the oppressive flames. "I don't know how much longer I can withstand this…"

Cameron frowned, and looked down at M'gann, who was now relaxed under his cold touch. He looked back at Aqualad. He reached out a chilled hand and placed it on Aqualad's shoulder. "Come on fish boy. Don't give up just yet."

Aqualad nodded listlessly, and leaned heavily into his cold hand. Suddenly, he looked over at Cameron. "Perhaps we should try sitting back to back…" He suggested, glancing down at M'gann.

Cameron frowned. He was already starting to feel hot, letting M'gann leech off his normally cold body temp, leaving his throat dry, parched and aching for water, but to have a second leech? Cameron shook off the selfish thought. _No, they need it more than I do. I'll be fine._ He nodded.

Aqualad carefully shifted to be behind him, which wasn't easy in the small confined cage they were in. But, carefully avoiding the flames, Aqualad sank behind him, and leaned into his back. Kaldur let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Alright, who else needs a human ice pack?" Cameron said humorlessly to the air, to which Kaldur chuckled.

"Believe me my friend, it is much appreciated." Kaldur said.

It was then that Cameron noticed the water droid suddenly dive underwater. "Uh oh."

"What is it?" Kaldur asked, turning.

"Poseidon just decided to go for a dip." Cameron said, and watched the entrance like a hawk, blinking the sweat out of his eyes.

It was a few minutes after that he saw two heads pop out, and one of them was blonde. _Thank god…_ He thought, just in time for the fire robot to spot them. "LOOK OUT!" He yelled as the robot turned and threw a fireball in their direction.

He gasped in relief as they popped up and onto the surface a few feet away, before they were forced to duck under the water once more as the flame bot flew over to see if they had indeed been struck.

He watched as they appeared once more next to Kid Flash and Superboy. "Forget us! Help M'gann!" Superboy yelled.

"Cameron!" Artemis called. "Is she…?" she couldn't finish.

"She's fine! They're both fine! But hurry up! I can't keep the cooling act up forever!" He shouted back, his vision beginning to flicker ever so slightly as his clothes became soaked with sweat.

"Call the league!" Aqualad shouted over his shoulder.

But before they could answer, another fireball struck the surface where they had just been moments before. Suddenly, they could only watch as the female robot landed at the top of the stairs holding two fireballs meant for their friends.

"I'm almost out of arrows!" Artemis yelled.

"Distract her! Now!" Robin yelled back, and the twang of her bowstring was her answer.

There were more sounds and fireballs, and then the splash of water as the two of them dove into the water. They didn't come up.

"There's still a chance, they'll come back." Aqualad said, but Cameron wasn't listening. He was too busy trying to blink the dark spots out of his vision.

"Six minutes."

()()()()()()()

Aqualad was feeling better, but was becoming concerned with Cameron. As he let them leech off his heat, the temperature began to effect him more readily than before, his normally spiky white locks were now limp and damp from his sweat. His head was becoming fuzzy and it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus.

"You're temperature's going up." Aqualad commented, turning to place a hand against Cameron's neck.

"Yeah…" he mumbled, not really paying attention. His vision was beginning to blur from time to time.

He barely registered when the male robot clunked up next to their cage and announced "Four minutes."

He only began to focus when he heard Kid Flash and Superboy sudden begin to make snarky comments, and yell at their captors. "We can escape anytime we want!" Superboy declared, gathering their attention.

"Yeah! I can vibrate my molecules out here before your binary brain can count to two!" Kid Flash mocked.

"What are they doing?" Aqualad asked out loud. Cameron shook his head. He was too busy fighting to stay conscious than figure out any plans they had.

"You can't kill a Kryptonian, robot. We _don't breath air_." Kid Flash let out an obnoxious laugh at Superboy's bluff.

"And Miss Martian? I can't believe you're buying her act." KF snarked.

"Yeah! Don't you know how hot it gets in the caves on Mars? Your cage is just making her homesick!"

_Oh, I wouldn't say I'm homesick as much as I'd rather be in any remotely cooler climate than this thanks…_ Cameron's currently loopy/snarky side of his brain stated seriously.

"ROBIN LOOK OUT!" Artemis screamed and Cameron's head shot up to see an enormous wave erupt to crash on one of the massive pillars across the cavern. A cold shot of adrenaline coursed through his veins, as he saw the fire bot toss large fireballs towards the ledge where a figure disappeared back into the vents.

He turned back and silently prayed as the water bot turned and lifted a small figure inside one of its water platforms.

While he was relieved it wasn't Artemis, he couldn't help but stiffen when he saw who was inside. Robin, suspended in the water, unconscious and unable to fight the water now entering his lungs.

Cameron felt dread sink like a stone into the bottom of his stomach. All of their hopes now lay in Artemis.

()()()()()()()

Cameron was beginning to have difficulty breathing. The heat was becoming too much, he couldn't afford to sit up any longer, having slid to his side a few minutes ago. It was becoming a struggle to keep his eyes open.

Kaldur was also beginning to struggle again, sweat beginning to blossom once more across his skin as he lay next to Cameron. M'gann was also beginning to feel the heat in her sleep, her expression becoming pinched.

There was a sudden ding behind the juvenile, and Kaldur shifted.

"I surrender. Stop the clock." Artemis's voice echoed throughout the cavern.

"No…." Cameron moaned. Artemis continued her walk, glancing over at Robin's still form next to the cage.

The two droids stepped up to her, and Cameron's vision blurred out of focus. Suddenly, she let out a battle cry, and there was a twang of her bowstring.

Suddenly, a wave rippled over their forms, and the two droids collapsed to the ground.

The cage of fire fizzled out, and Cameron could faintly hear the water begin to drain away from the cavern.

He took a deep breath, the soothing cool air suddenly icy against his skin. Kaldur sat up, and leaned over to touch M'gann's forehead.

"Kaldur! How's M'gann?!" Superboy called up to them, having apparently survived their attempted drowning.

"She breathes! I believe she will recover!" Kaldur called back. Cameron groaned. _Well, at least their leeching paid off. _"What of Robin?"

He faintly heard Artemis drop her bow as she ran over to Robin. There was a faint cough. "He's, he's breathing too!" Artemis called back.

"Way to get 'traught…" Robin said back weakly.

Artemis sat back with a sigh of relief. Cameron forced himself to sit up. "Yeah, no I'm fine too. Thanks for asking." He said sarcastically, his voice cracked from being so dry.

"Cameron! You're okay?" Artemis said, as if suddenly remembering he was there.

"I'm fine, no thanks to the leeches." He said jokingly, trying to ignore the way it felt like his head was weaving when he knew it was still.

Kaldur let out a soft chuckle. "Believe me, I don't think M'gann would have survived if it weren't for your idea."

Cameron turned to look at him in surprise. No one had ever credited him for his ideas before. Lord knew how many of his ideas his father had taken for his own or disregarded altogether. Cameron nodded numbly.

"Nonetheless." Robin said as he sat up, wiping soaking wet strands out of his face. "We should move those robots and rejoin by Superboy and Kid Flash until the league gets here."

"Agreed." Kaldur said, slowly moving to stand. Cameron joined him, and swayed on his feet.

"Woah, watch yourself there cowboy." Artemis said, rushing over to keep him from face planting.

"His body temperature was beginning to rise the longer we were in there." Kaldur explained as he slung M'gann's arm over his shoulder.

M'gann groaned, and her eyes fluttered open. "What?" She murmured.

"We'll explain later." Kaldur said, and helped her move down the stairs.

Artemis watched for a moment as Robin followed, dragging the now lifeless robots behind him, and turned to Cameron. She place a hand against his forehead and his eyelashes fluttered. "He's right, you're warmer than I've ever remembered you being." Artemis whispered, and helped him limp towards the stairs.

"I think letting them leech off of me might've done something." He said, as despite his normally chilly temperature slowly returning, it was still too blurry and dizzying for his comfort.

"Figured my only shot was to "surrender". To pretend to drown before I actually did. Whacked out though." Robin finished explaining to the still trapped Kid Flash.

"M'gann." Superboy murmured, and reached out with a free hand to hold the Martian's.

"I'll be fine." She whispered. Artemis paused to grab a laser tool from the side, before helping Cameron shuffle over to them.

As she began to fiddle with the buttons, Kid Flash snapped. "Would you quit playing with that thing and cut us free already?!"

"It's not working genius!" Artemis snapped back. "The EMP shuts down all machines, remember?" She said.

"All machines present at the time." Red Tornado's real voice echoed, as the robot flew over to him. He landed softly next to the junior flash. "What has occurred?" he asked.

"We had a little visit from your family." Robin said, turning to look at the prone forms of the droids.

"You're extremely _**nasty**_ family." Artemis added angrily.

"…I was not aware I had relations." The Robot responded after a pause, and moved to examine the other bots.

"Where have you been?" Superboy asked, watching him as he walked past.

"Monitor duty at the Watch Tower." The android responded easily. "When it became clear cave communications were down I attempted to investigate." Red Tornado explained as he stood over the intruders forms."But your zeta tubes were also non functional."

Red Tornado knelt down to closer examine the robot look alikes. "I transported to providence and proceeded here." He said, and turned as the sphere suddenly flickered back to life.

"Hey boy." Superboy greeted, as the orb wrenched itself from the wall and landed near the trapped Kryptonian.

Suddenly, icy chill along his skin vanished, and he was left suddenly feeling very sick.

Artemis also started as the laser in her hands suddenly came to life, nearly knocking Cameron from her side, the laser striking the ground before flickering out.

"The pulse has worn off!" Robin and Kid Flash said simultaneously, whipping around to look at Red Tornado who was reaching towards one of the bots.

Suddenly, he turned, and lifted into the air, and rapidly began to spin his arms around in a rapid tornado.

Cameron could feel the air suddenly being ripped from his lungs, as Artemis grasped at her throat.

Kaldur was forced to drop M'gann as his webbed hands covered his gills. Robin fell down as Superboy and Kid Flash passed out in their cages.

Darkness was creeping in the edges of his vision, and suddenly, his legs gave out. He fell into the darkness….

()()()()()()()

Alright! I am on a roll! Please, favorite, follow, read and review.

Thanks to everyone who has helped support my story so far! I was really surprised at how many people quickly jumped aboard! Thank you guys so much!


	5. The Aftermath

"Artemis? Can you hear me?" There was a high pitched ringing in her ears, and she groaned, opening her eyes. There was a blurry blue and red figure standing over her. She moaned, and blinked again. Superman came into focus above her.

"She's alright." He announced to someone next to him, and helped to get to her feet.

Green Arrow was standing next to her, All of the mentors were there standing with their respective apprentices, with the Flash and Captain Atom attempting to hack Superboy and Kid Flash out of their prisons with Black Canary kneeling over Cameron.

"What happened here?" Superman asked her.

"_**What happened?**_" She asked, looking at him like he'd grown a second head. "The REDS happened! Tornado and his-!" She froze, and looked around. "Wait- where is-?"

"Gone." Robin's voice answered. He turned to her. "All three of them. Gone."

"Batman, something's wrong." Black Canary called from her position of Cameron's still form.

Artemis' nerves tensed, and rushed over with Batman. The team's eyes followed.

Batman knelt down. "What happened?" He asked, reaching out to feel his forehead.

"He's warm." Black Canary said.

Batman narrowed his eyes, and felt around Cameron's neck for a pulse. He groaned, and tried to pull away from his touch, but Batman held firm.

"His heart rate is much too high." He said, and pulled the teen into his arms, Cameron's head flopping around uselessly against Batman's shoulder. "We have to get him to the infirmary."

()()()()()()()

Cameron woke up to find bright lights in his face, and grimaced, turning away from it with a groan. _God, and why was it so hot?_

"Cameron?" A woman's voice asked. "Can you hear me?"

"God, turn off the sun!" He groaned, his voice dry and sore. It felt like someone had stuffed cotton balls in his mouth and it had a horrible taste.

There was a soft chuckle, and suddenly the lights dimmed. He blinked rapidly, trying to adjust his eyes to the sudden darkness. There was a shock of blonde hair leaning over the sink as she ran the water.

"Arty?" He asked, squinting as the figure turned off the water.

"Close, but no cigar." Black Canary turned back to him, holding a wet towel in her hand. She walked back over to him, and placed the towel on his forehead. He didn't even try to smother the pure sigh of relief as the cool liquid met his skin.

The concern on her face grew, and she pulled up a chair, sitting so the back of it was facing him. "Aqualad told me what you did for him and M'gann." She said, looking at him.

"Yeah?" He asked drowsily._ God, who knew the cold could feel so heavenly? _

"Well, I suppose you could say I was surprised when I heard that it was you that suggested the reverse body heat technique to help Aqualad and Miss Martian survive." She said.

Cameron's brows knit together, confused. She saw, and decided to elaborate. "I mean, it doesn't fit the profile we have of you."

_Oh._ Cameron understood what she was getting at. "Most of that was my father." He admitted, looking down at the sheets in his lap. "Most of the time, when he made me part of his plans, he would make me promise to do as much damage to people and structures as possible. Occasionally I tried to not hurt anyone, as a sort of rebellion, you know? But when I didn't live up to his expectations, he would threaten to sell me out to the police or to a fellow criminal I might've pissed off at some point."

"How would he have notified the police?" Canary asked.

"Anonymously or something. After a while it sort of became a stress reliever for me. To just to tear stuff up." Cameron mumbled, and a sudden heat wave crawled across his skin. "Why am I so hot?" He groaned, and began to pull off the sheets.

"You're sick." Black Canary said, and grabbed his hand, stopping him from pushing the rest of the blankets off.

"Wait, what?" He asked, turning to her in surprise. " But, I don't get sick."

"Well," She began, taking advantage of his shock to reapply the blankets over him. "It appears that when you were keeping Miss Martian and Kaldur cool, you were leaving yourself vulnerable to the flames, and subsequently, bacteria afterwards."

"However, your body has been staving off bacteria for years due to your low body temperature, but now that your body has warmed up, its natural instinct is kicking in to kill bacteria off through heat. Which unfortunately, isn't very effective due to your normal core body temperature." Black Canary explained, sitting back in her chair.

"Well damn." He cursed mildly, sinking into the mattress.

"And since you could potentially be vulnerable to the illness, I'll have to keep an eye on you just in case it gets worse." Black Canary explained.

"I can take care of myself." He argued back weakly, glowering at the older hero.

"I know you can. But there are some things that you might need my help doing that you can't do on your own." She said patiently.

"Like what?" He asked bitterly. _I'm not a __**baby**__._

"Do you know how to use a hypodermic needle and properly insert it into a vein?"

….. _Okay, maybe she had a point._

"Face it Cam, you're hopeless when it comes to this stuff." Cameron turned to see Artemis leaning in the doorway, smiling, but obviously tense.

"Hey babe." He greeted, taking off the towel to swipe it across the rest of his face. "How're M'gann and Kaldur doing?"

"M'gann's fully recovered and Kaldur's fine." Artemis reported. She shifted, almost looking uncomfortable.

"Babe, I may be sick, but I don't bite." He smiled, and patted the free side of his bed. She flushed in embarrassment, but quickly joined his side.

"Have you found out what he's sick with?" Artemis asked.

"Not yet." Black Canary admitted. "We can't tell wether it's a virus or bacterial based sickness so we'll have to wait it out."

"Great. Mystery sickness it is." Cameron grouched dryly, and wiped the back of his neck with the cloth.

Artemis frowned in worry, but turned to Black Canary. "Anyway, we're supposed to meet up with the team. Take care of him for me while I'm gone?" She asked.

"To the best of my ability." Black Canary said, standing up to follow her. "If he's willing to let me."

"Yeah, just give him a quick slap upside the head and he'll be more willing to listen." Artemis advised, and they both giggled as they left.

"Hey, I'm sick! You can't abuse the sick!" Cameron yelled after her, to which she stuck out her tongue at him.

"Ugh, girls are crazy."

()()()()()()()

Needless to say, it was quite a scene that Artemis and Black Canary had walked into.

"You knew?!" Everyone looked up and saw Conner run up to Aqualad and shove him up against the wall. "That android and his maniac family nearly killed M'gann and Cameron!"

"Conner!" M'gann flew over to them, "What are you doing?"

"Kaldur knew we have a traitor among us, but said nothing!"

"You knew?!" Robin narrowed his eyes.

"And you didn't tell us?!" Wally finished his sentence.

"I sought to protect the team-"

"Protect us from what?!" Artemis demanded. "Knowledge that might have saved our lives?"

Wally's widened as something clicked in his brain. "It was Icicle Junior! He's the traitor!" he yelled. "He's on the team for barely a day and this happens! He probably hacked into Red Tornado to make him betray us!" He slammed his fist into the table.

"Enough!" Batman ordered and just like that, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to the Dark Knight. "Cameron is not the mole. According to Aqualad's information, the Team had one for quite some time now. Even before Junior joined the team."

"Doesn't mean that he couldn't have anything to do with it though." Wally muttered under his breath.

"With Red Tornado now… missing, the team will now be overseen by rotating supervisors." He stepped aside to reveal their new den mother, "Captain Marvel has volunteered to take the first shift."

"I'm really looking forward to hanging with you guys." He smiled, his eyes wide and innocent. Everyone exchanged glances.

Conner turned back to Aqualad, "Once I dismantle Red Tornado, You and I are gonna-"

"Red Tornado is a member of the Justice League." Batman stepped in, "That makes him a League responsibility. You WILL leave him to us." He stared down Superboy for a moment before turning to a new hologram screen. "I have another assignment for this team." It showed several images and news articles depicting an ape holding a machine gun and a red beret.

"Gotham Mayor attacked by Guerrilla Gorilla?" Kid Flash asked skeptically.

"Batman PLEASE don't tell me you expect us to go on this joke of a wild ape chase." Robin asked his mentor, stepping forward.

Batman's opaque eyes darkened dangerously. "I **never** joke about a mission." Batman said seriously.

Robin bowed his head, blanching at the mistake he'd made. "I've checked the sources. I've studied the patterns." Batman continued. "Mayor Hill's encounter is only the latest in a series of incidents." He turned back to Aqualad.

"Aqualad. You and your team will depart for India and check this out." Batman ordered. Kaldur nodded.

Kid Flash brushed past him and scoffed. "Your team." He wrinkled his nose and continued to down the hall, promptly leaving their former leader behind.

()()()()()()()

Cameron looked up at Black Canary who walked through the door after the meeting. "Hey," he greeted.

"What are you doing out of bed?" She asked, her eyes narrowing at him standing by the sink, holding a plastic cup filled with cold water.

"I was thirsty?" He answered back confused, holding up the drink in question as he leaned against the counter for support.

"Oh no. You get back to bed." She said, and took the cup from him before steering him back to bed.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, wriggling out of her grip. "I'm sick, not a cripple!" He snapped.

She gave him a look. "I know you aren't. But that doesn't mean you're going to get any better any sooner if you're running around. You need to rest." She said with an air of finality, and pushed him towards the bed.

He glared at her, and reluctantly climbed back in. She placed the water on the bedside table within his teach, and looked at him.

"How're you feeling?" She asked.

"A little bit better actually." He said, leaning against the pillows. It was half true. He still swayed on his feet and was burning up, but at least his mouth and throat didn't feel like he'd recently been attempting to eat sand.

"Good." She nodded, and leaned back.

"Anyway, what happened at the meeting?" Black Canary shifted, and didn't look comfortable with the subject. "I'll get you a clean change of clothes." She said, skillfully dodging the subject altogether as she headed for the door. "You'd better not move from that bed while I'm gone." She said, pointing a warning finger at him as she left.

Cameron raised an eyebrow at her, then shrugged, leaning into the warm knitted blankets. To tell the truth? He could get used to this.

She came back a few seconds later with a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. "After the whole fiasco yesterday we really didn't get a chance to get you into something clean before we had to rush you in here." She admitted, handing him the clothes.

"Thanks." He said, and looked up at her, seeing that she was still standing there.

"Oh, right, you want me to leave while you change?" She asked.

Cameron wanted to say no, but once again his mouth suddenly decided to speak for him. "It's alright, you can stay if you want."

He gripped the T-Shirt silently and cursed at himself. _God, why is my mouth doing this to me?!_ But Black Canary remained, worry starting to etch into her features as he remained where he was.

Cameron took a deep breath and slowly began to remove the dark tank top. However, it was barely over his head before he heard a soft gasp.

"What happened?" Black Canary asked, walking over with concerned eyes as she examined his side, which was bruised purple, green and a swollen red.

"Oh." Cameron said, lowering his arms slightly. _Damn it. Damn it. Damn it all to hell! _

But Black Canary was having none of it. "Honey, it looks like it's starting to get infected." She commented, and softly prodded it with a fore finger.

Cameron gave a loud hiss and gritted his teeth with a grunt. The pain was much worse than before. She frowned in concern "You have a hairline fracture. How long have you had this?" She asked, her eyes darting up to his face and raking over it for any other signs of injury. "Did you get this yesterday?"

"No, it's not a big deal." Cameron said defensively, and finished pulling off his shirt, reaching to grab the spare. She grabbed his wrist.

"Wether you believe it's a big deal or not makes no difference. Infections like that could be the reason you got sick so fast. It could have simply have been waiting in your body and reacted to the increase in body temperature." She said, and forced him to let go of the shirt. "Stuff like that can be lethal if it goes unreported. Why didn't you tell us?" She asked very eyes wide with concern.

"I've gotten worse." Cameron snapped, wrenching his wrist out of her hand. _It was true_. He thought, stifling a shudder as he remembered the feeling of someone's hands wrapped around his throat, and the insane grin that had marked the fellow prisoner's face as Cameron began and kick and claw to no avail at his attackers hands. He hadn't thought the guards would make it in time.

Black Canary paused, looking him over, and leaned back. "At the very least, we should give you some antibiotics for the infection. Any allergies?" She asked, reaching into the bedside drawer for some on hand medicine.

"None that I know of." Cameron said, crossing his arms.

Black Canary didn't comment, and shut the drawer, holding two small pills in her palm. She held out the cup of water Cameron had gotten and handed him the pills.

Cameron was still for a moment, seriously considering not taking the meds just to piss her off. But he let out a sigh of defeat, knowing that the only person he'd be hurting was himself. He took the pills, washing them down with the cup.

"Alright." She nodded, taking the cup back from him and setting it back down. "Mind telling me where you got that injury?" She asked, sitting down across from Cameron on the bed.

Cameron's lips pinched themselves shut. It was humiliating and embarrassing and he wasn't going to tell her even if she came at him with a hot poker. He shook his head, and pulled the T-shirt over his head to avoid the question.

She sighed, and stood, grabbing the cup off of the side table and tossing it into the trash bin. She turned. "Press that button on the side table if you need anything." She said, and walked out.

Cameron scoffed, before pulling the blankets over him, ignoring the sweat beginning to prickle along his widow's peak. "Yeah right…."

()()()()()()()

Black Canary walked into the Zeta Tube room, seeing Batman there, currently realigning the cameras and security protocols on the holo- screen.

"He didn't tell you." He stated, not looking away from the screen as she approached. She nodded, not even phased anymore by his all knowingness.

"Didn't breathe a word." She said, and felt her shoulders sag slightly. "I swear these kids are going to give me wrinkles." She commented, idly massaging her forehead with one hand.

Batman's lip twitched. "How is his heart rate?" He asked instead, as he finished moving the camera towards the cave's garage.

"It's doing better." She said on a higher note, moving to help him type in more codes. It felt good to let her fingers do something; they felt eager to move. "He's developed an infection though."

Bruce's fingers barely paused in their movements. Barely. "How bad is it?" He asked, as he glanced over to watch Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter continue to fix up the interior of the garage.

"Not that bad right now, but it could get worse if we don't keep an eye on it." She explained, and pressed enter, letting the code merge with the rest of the Justice League firewall.

"Then why aren't you?" Batman asked bluntly, turning off the screen and turning to look at the blonde Heroine.

Black Canary shut off her screen also. "It's just…" She trailed off, and glanced over at the Zeta Tubes.

"What Kid Flash accused him of?" Batman asked, raising an eyebrow.

She sighed. "I know that he couldn't have done it. But I'm not so sure anymore." She said, and looked up at him.

He turned, and turned on the screen once more. "I've already reviewed the tapes." he said, pulling up the files on screen. "He hadn't met or was near Red Tornado before the attack. His story matches that of which Kaldur and Robin reported."

Black Canary watched as Cameron walked out of his room, rubbing his eyes. He turned, and another explosion rocked the halls. He ran towards the noise. Batman pulled up the camera of the cave. Cameron had run unintentionally into the fight, the water at his ankles, and had only just heard Superboy's cry of warning before a blast of fire aimed for him struck the place he'd been standing. Cameron had turned and bolted from the hall, and only made a few yards before the fire robot had struck behind him, causing an explosion to knock him off of the wall, and to the ground. He didn't get up.

The Water robot, with the three arrows vaguely suggesting a Trident on his chest came up behind him, and heaved him onto his shoulder before riding a wave back into the room.

Batman shut down the screen once more. "Like the flash, his theories tend to be based more on his preferences than fact."

She nodded. "Perhaps we should have a therapy session for those two." She said. Bruce nodded his approval.

"Anyway, I came to talk to you about something else." She said, and looked up at Bruce.

He raised an eyebrow, Batman's own version of gesturing for her to continue. "When I asked him about why he saved Kaldur and M'gann the way he did, he told me that his father often forced him to hurt others and destroy property. If he didn't, his father would threaten him with selling him out to the police or other villains." She explained.

"Blackmail." He said, and Black Canary nodded. "He told me that it became a stress reliever for him, and that might explain why he seemed so excited about the destruction when we arrived to stop him."

Bruce nodded thoughtfully. "I'll have to update his psychological profile on the Database." He said, and turned back to the screen. "Thank you for reporting this to me."

Black Canary smiled. "Whatever you say Bruce."

()()()()()()()

Artemis was worried. And mad. Definitely mad.

She was worried because of the news of the mole, and how it had nearly torn the team apart. She was worried because she knew Cameron wasn't the mole, no matter how much Wally wanted to insist he was.

Oh yes, that was where her anger came in. "Sportsmaster gave me the information weeks ago Wally." Kaldur explained for the umpteenth time.

"Yeah, but that could've been a hint at the spy who was going to join us!" He argued.

"He knew about Santa Prisca and Bialiya." Kaldur said. "Cameron wasn't present for either of those missions if you recall."

"Well…" Wally struggled for some incriminating evidence. "He's still a criminal." Artemis rolled her eyes.

"As much as I hate to say it, you really don't have that much of a case here Wally." Robin said, raising his hands at his friends betrayed expression.

"You know what? Fine. But when he goes back to his old ways, and you're all standing there wondering what happened? I'll be standing here to tell you I told you so." He said, sitting back with a huff.

"Whatever Wally." Artemis said. To be honest, she was really starting to get sick of his accusations. Cameron might've worked for his father, but no one said he did it purely out of his own will. I mean sure he loved him, he was his father for Christ's sake! But he sure as hell didn't like working for him. There were many times in their childhood they'd sit down together, both escaping their parents career choice, just to try and feel normal together. It was only when Cameron's father had begun to officially rope him into more of his schemes that they began to drift apart, contacting each other less and less.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when M'gann called out "We're here." in her cheery relieved voice.

They all climbed out, exhausted but happy to be home. Wally turned. "I'm gonna head home. See you tomorrow!" He said, and zipped away leaving a bright yellow trail in his wake.

She shook her head, and walked off, deciding to go see if Cameron was still awake.

It was a short walk from the landing bay to the Infirmary, but it still surprised her when she arrived to see M'gann hovering near Cameron's bed, biting her lip nervously. "M'gann?" She asked, causing the young martian girl to jump. "What are you doing in here?" She asked, taking note that Cameron was sound asleep, thin shadows starting to form under his pale eyelids.

"I was just…" She bit new lip, gnawing on it. "I wanted to thank him for saving me, but I didn't get a chance to before we left and-" Artemis held up a hand.

"It's cool. But how about we wait until morning to thank the guy alright?" She suggested with a smile, and M'gann nodded with a small smile.

Artemis waited until she had flown around the corner, before blowing a kiss at the sleeping figure. "Good night Frost Bite."

()()()()()()()

Cameron woke up to an incredible burning sensation in his side. He gasped, and couldn't seem to find the air. He grunted, and groped around blindly for the emergency button (as he'd dubbed it) on his bedside table. His fingers banged against wood for a few frightening seconds before it hit plastic.

He grabbed the button and held his thumb firmly on the button, gripping it tightly to his chest. Sweat had once more began to drip down his face, and he grunted as his side flared in pain.

He grabbed a fistful of the sheets, his fists white knuckled in the darkness. _God it__** hurt.**__ Where was everyone? Had they all left?_ His thoughts were cut off by another wave of fire down his side.

He couldn't hold back the sharp cry of pain that escaped him, before he curled into himself, smothering the rest with a grunt.

Suddenly, there were footsteps in the hall, before the door suddenly opened, letting the warm light of the hallway leak in.

"Cameron?" Superboy asked, blinking. His eyes widened, seeing the former juvenile's state. "Cameron what's wrong?" He asked, rushing over to him.

"Woke up." Cameron grunted. "Side hurt. Call Canary!" He said through gritted teeth, and groaned into the pillow.

"She's on the way." A gruff voice announced. Cameron opened one watery eye to see the Batman in the doorway, as he moved over to Cameron's bedside. He lifted his shirt, having already known about the injured rib which was now a very angry red.

He narrowed his eyes, and turned to Cameron. "Cameron, I need you to tell me how long this has been here."

Cameron responded with a pained grunt, moving his hand to grip the mattress instead. Batman narrowed his eyes further. "Cameron, I know it's difficult. But you have to tell me."

Cameron shook his head.

"What's going on?" Superboy asked, glancing between the two.

"He has a fractured rib that's become infected." Batman said, and watched as Cameron twisted, biting into his pillow as he let out another muffled cry of pain.

"What?" Superboy recoiled, and glanced over Cameron's side to see the swollen injury half hidden under his nightshirt.

"Cameron, you have to tell me how long you've had this. I need to know." Batman ordered. and could only watch as Cameron bit harder into the pillow; clenching his eyes shut.

"Cameron it's okay." Superboy said, leaning towards his friend. "It's not that bad."

A few tears escaped Cameron's eyes, and he gasped through the pillow, the pain rising in a crescendo. _God, you have no idea…_

After a few short harrowing breaths, he forced himself to spit out the pillow. "Yes it is." He gasped at Superboy. Another wave hit him just then, and he cried out, nails digging into the bedding.

"It's been two weeks." He grunted, shutting his eyes as he lay on his side. Superboy started. Cam had still been in prison when he received that.

Batman nodded, and stood, quickly reaching into a nearby cabinet for a syringe. "Hey, it's gonna be okay." Superboy reassured, reaching to carefully grasp one of Cameron's hands. Apparently he had dropped the emergency button sometime during that conversation.

Cameron didn't answer, being too busy grinding his teeth again at the pain.

"What's going on?" M'gann's sleepy voice asked in the doorway, the martian rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She had changed into a pair of pajamas.

"Go back to bed M'gann." Superboy said, glancing at his girlfriend. Cameron resumed biting his pillow, uncaring of the saliva beginning to stain it.

M'gann started at her boyfriend's solemn tone, and blinked, looking much more awake. "What happened?" She asked, floating closer.

"Nothing you need to be concerned with." Batman answered, returning to Cameron's side as he finished filling a syringe with antibiotics.

He brushed Cameron's shirt out of the way, and without anymore prompting, carefully injected the syringe directly into the infection. Cameron yelped, and his grip on Superboy's hand increased, sweat erupting on his palms.

Cameron struggled not to move, but couldn't help the shudder of pain as Batman finally removed the syringe from his side. He blinked watery eyes as he felt Batman apply a large bandage to the wound and groaned.

"Is he going to be okay?" M'gann asked and Superboy turned, looking up at the Dark Knight in worry.

"He'll be fine. I'll stay here to keep watch." Batman said, and there was a definite tone saying 'now get out and let me do my job' included in there. M'gann frowned worriedly, but nodded. Superboy looked reluctant to leave.

Cameron spat out the pillow once more. "Listen supes, I'll be fine. I've got the Dark Nurse to watch over me."

Batman raised an eyebrow, but Superboy sighed with a rueful smile. "Fine. But you'd better still be here in the morning." He added, and couldn't quite hide the real fear that underlined that phrase.

"I'll do my best." Cameron said, his breathing finally starting to slow down.

Superboy nodded and joined his girlfriend, heading back towards their bedrooms. Batman turned. "The Dark Nurse?" He asked incredulously.

"Striking fear into the hearts of all patients." Cameron said, and began to feeling very sleepy. "You add pain meds to that stuff?"

Batman's lip twitched. Cameron couldn't help but smile tiredly back. "Thanks."

()()()()()()()

Alright, some DRAMA! Hope you all enjoyed, suggestions and comments welcome. Friendly criticisms also welcome, no flames allowed. next chapter to be up soon!


	6. Recovery

Superboy and M'gann were both very quiet the next day, lost in thought as the team meandered through their activities. Wally's current choice? Raving about Cameron.

"I know that he isn't a spy but he might still have a motive to betray us. I mean, look at how many years he worked for his dad. No one just stops a streak like that at the drop of a hat." He suddenly chuckled. "Hey, rhyme!"

Artemis rolled her eyes at Wally, and turned to M'gann. "Hey, you okay?" She asked the alien softly. "You've been really quiet."

M'gann blinked out of her daze. "Oh. Oh no I'm fine." She said, and tried to school her expression.

"You sure you don't want to talk about it?" Artemis asked quietly, ignoring Wally as he continued to rave while Robin looked on with a bored expression.

Miss Martian took a deep breath and turned to her. _Cameron has an infected fracture in his rib._ She said through the mental link.

"What?!" She said out loud in shock.

The team whipped around to look at her. "What's what?" Robin asked from his seat at the picnic table.

"M'gann just said that Cameron-"

"Cameron did what?" Wally leapt, his expression angry. "What did he do?"

Artemis leaned back from Wally's expression. She snarled. "You know what. I'm not going to tell you. I've tired of you jumping on Cameron all the time." She stood up angrily and walked away.

"Where are you going?" He yelled after her.

"To the infirmary!" She shouted back angrily, and stomped off.

()()()()()()()

Artemis sat next to Cameron, propping up her chin on the blanket as he slept on his side, his face relaxed in sleep. Her eyes traced his face, from his sharp chiseled jaw and nose, to pale white eyelashes which were perfectly still from his drugged sleep. His pale skin was even paler than usual, and every once in a while, his face gave a pinch of discomfort before relaxing back into sleep.

The heart monitor they had added last night kept a steady beat, though it stuttered occasionally due to the pain.

Black Canary stood nearby, having arrived later than Batman, and was pouring herself a cup of coffee from the coffee maker across the room. "He _is_ alive you know." Black Canary said, and replaced the pot under the machine, inhaling the scent of hazelnut coffee with cream.

"I know." Artemis muttered.

Black Canary sipped the bitter drink, and tilted her head at Artemis. "But that's not what you're concerned about." She guessed.

Artemis nodded. "It seems like no one else but Superboy, Miss Martian and I even notice he's here." She snorted. "And don't even get me started on Wally."

There was a quiet moment of contemplation before a new voice entered the conversation. "What about me?" Artemis turned, startled to see Kaldur standing there in his civvies Robin at his side wearing his signature sunglasses.

"What?" She asked, leaning back to sit up straighter.

"Junior saved my life in that cage. Did you think I would forget that?" Kaldur asked calmly.

"I didn't-" Artemis rushed to defend herself.

"It's okay. We're kinda getting tired of Wally too." Robin explained with a shrug. Artemis slowly nodded, and turned back to Cameron.

"How is he?" Kaldur asked, looking over at the older heroine.

"He's doing better." She declared. She glanced at the heart monitor. "His heart rate is good, and the A/C seems to be helping us control his body temperature as well. The infection is moving out."

"Should we tell Wally?" Robin asked her.

Artemis shook her head. "If that numbskull doesn't care enough to find out what's going on, why should we tune him in?" She asked bitterly, and Robin nodded his consent sadly.

"I suppose he'll have to learn the hard way." Kaldur said.

Suddenly, the heart monitor started to beep faster. Cameron groaned, and opened his eyes. "Hey there sleepy head." Artemis greeted.

He blinked in the light, and turned to her. "Hey…" He looked around a tad groggily, the sedatives beginning to wear off. He spotted Robin and Kaldur and narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Checking on you." Kaldur replied. "M'gann and I haven't had a chance to give our thanks for saving our lives."

"It's no biggie." Cameron shrugged, and smiled tiredly at the teen. Kaldur just shook his head.

"No. It was a very big deal." Kaldur intoned, and looked him in the eye. "I don't think you realize how **big** a deal it was." He stepped closer to the bed. "It would have been very easy for you to keep quiet about your abilities and allow us to die of dehydration. It would have been very easy for you to simply shove us into the fire if you had really wanted to."

Cameron shuddered, and his throat tingled; the ghostly sensation of fingers touching his neck causing the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. Oh, he knew how easy it could have been.

"But you didn't." Kaldur concluded. "And for that you have my eternal gratitude." Cameron started, looking up at the Atlantean in surprise. Now he hadn't expected THAT.

"Well, at least the majority of the team is back in array." Robin said, and plopped down next to Black Canary on the bed, letting his legs dangle over the sides.

"Don't you mean unison?" Cameron asked, but Artemis shook her head.

"Robin thinks that by removing certain parts of a word it makes him sound cool. Which it doesn't."

"Hey, at least people can understand me. It'll become mainstream soon enough." Robin nodded confidently, crossing his arms.

"No it won't." Artemis said blatantly.

"Hey!"

Black Canary chuckled into her coffee, watching as Cameron relaxed as he listened to the friendly banter. _After all, you become what you surround yourself with… _

()()()()()()()

Hey guys! I know the chapter's a little shorter than I usually write, but don't worry! It's all part of my master plan... Please Read and Review!

BTW, the Batman's lip twitch is the Batman's way of smiling...he doesn't have many positive facial muscles...


	7. Revelations

It had been several days now since the medical emergency, and Cameron had finally been given the clean bill of health.

"Yep, seems the infections gone." Black Canary said as she prodded the rib. "Seems your body temperature's back to normal too, meaning that you're out in the clear now."

"Finally." He said, and ripped the sheets off.

"Now if you start feeling sick again you come and tell me straight away alright?" Black Canary said, giving him a hard look.

Cameron nodded without really paying attention, and stood up, his one wrapped foot standing steadily on the ground. "Alright, time to get some grub!" He said, and promptly jogged away towards the kitchen.

Black Canary chuckled and shook her head. "Kids." She laughed, and moved to change the sheets.

As he jogged down the hall, he nearly bumped into artemis, to which he gave a violent twist as to avoid her and nearly toppled over. "Woah!" He yelped, barely regaining his balance.

Artemis gasped, but remained standing. She blinked. "Cam? Are you supposed to be out of bed?" She asked, looking his figure up and down for signs of escape.

"Yep, just got the release papers this morning." He said with a smile. Artemis smiled and hugged him.

"That's great!" She laughed, and leaned back. "Maybe they'll let you take the collar off soon." Cameron's smile fell slightly, glancing down at the black collar around his neck.

Artemis followed his gaze. She let her arms fall to her sides. "They're not doing it to be mean Cam." She said, and watched as he sighed wearily.

"I know. It's just that…" He sighed again, looking off to the side. Artemis touched his arm comfortingly.

"It's just that what?" Kid Flash asked sharply, zipping up next to them. Artemis jumped and flinched her hand back like it had been burned.

Cameron narrowed his eyes at the speedster. "It's none of your business dude. Leave me alone." He said, and brushed past Artemis.

"Cam…." She started, but he continued his brisk pace down the hall.

"Yeah? Well your business becomes my business when you're a threat to my team!" He called after him. Artemis dragged her hands down her face in frustration.

()()()()()()()

Cameron walked in to see Robin and Kaldur wrapping up their sparring session while Captain Marvel and Zatara stood by, and walked over to them. "Hey guys." He greeted.

"Hey." Robin greeted back, dropping his fists as they both moved out of their defensive positions.

Kaldur turned to him as well. "Black Canary deems you're healthy?" He asked.

Cameron rolled his eyes. "Yes mom, she gave me the thumbs up." He said, to which Kaldur smiled.

They turned around to see Superboy and M'gann walk in, apparently having a telepathic conversation by their expressions, closely followed by an enormous white wolf. "Um? What is that?" Cameron asked, pointing to the large wolf.

"A wolf mutated by Kobra Venom. We met him on our last mission while you were sick." Robin explained, and smirked at Superboy and M'gann. "You know they're a couple right?" He whispered to Kaldur.

"I believe I knew before they did." Kaldur responded.

"I was there for their first kiss…" Cameron mocked dreamily, clapping his hands together under his chin.

Robin chuckled.

They all turned at the squeaking of sneakers behind them, and turned to see Wally and Artemis walking up behind them, Artemis with a very angry disgruntled expression on her face and Wally glaring at Cameron again.

"Do we tell them?" Robin asked quietly.

"It is not our place." Kaldur whispered back.

_Oh, some more back history. Goodie_. Cameron thought sarcastically.

Wally's glaring gaze finally moved off of him and glanced at the two mentors behind them. "If Zatara's our babysitter, why is he still here?" Wally asked pointing to Captain Marvel who was chewing on a candy bar. "And why is he eating my snacks?!"

Cameron couldn't help snort loudly, earning him another glare. _Serves him right. I suppose karma had to kick in sometime. _

"Recognized: Batman. Zero Two." The computer's voice stated stiffly, as the Zeta Tube hummed loudly.

Batman stepped out of the golden hue of light, already on the move. "Computer. National News." He commanded, walking up to the sensor pad.

A large holo screen popped up behind them.

"The initial attack was short lived. But Metropolis was only given a short reprieve." The blonde reporter stated, before cutting away to show footage of what appeared to be monstrous vines wrapping themselves around a building, clenching themselves like tentacles around it until the building crumbled under its grip. "And despite intervention from Superman and the Justice League, there seems to be no end in sight."

"Should we get out there?" Robin asked eagerly, his small frame practically waiting for the word to jump into battle.

"No." Batman answered, turning back to the team. "The League will soon have the situation under control, that's not why I'm here." He explained. "According to your intel Sportsmaster supplied Cadmus' blockbuster formula to Kobra."

"Who combined it with Bane's Venom to create Kobra Venom." Wally finished, eyes bright as the gears began to move.

Cameron's eyes widened. _Woah, that's gotta be some heavy duty steroids if anything I've seen at the prison was to go by. _

"Which the Brain used to create his animal army." Robin continued.

"And upgrade Wolf." Superboy added, scratching the animal's furry chin.

"The Brain also used inhibitor collars, like the ones used in Belle Reve Penitentiary." M'gann said. Cameron shuddered, the collar suddenly feeling very cold against his skin. _If you really wanted to, you make anyone your slave with these things._ Cameron thought, trying to ignore the prickling chills marching up and down his spine.

"Batman, is it possible that plant thingy's on Kobra Venom too?" Artemis asked, glancing back at the screen.

"I had Green Lantern run a spot analysis." Batman said, and waved his hand, pulling up a keyboard. "The Vines cellulose does contain trace amounts of a Kobra Venom variant." He confirmed as a holograph opened up to reveal a 3D molecule of the Kobra Venom like substance.

"These cannot be coincidences." Aqualad said solemnly. "Unrelated criminals are cooperating with each other worldwide." He concluded, as Robin pulled up a similar laptop in front of him and began to type rapidly.

"Exactly, it's now clear our enemies have formed some kind of…secret society of super villains. The attack on Metropolis is only the beginning." Batman stated, his tone dark.

Cameron struggled not to shift when he felt Wally turn and glare daggers at him. It was true his father had kept things from him nearly 24 hours a day, but was this one of them? _A secret society of Super Villains? _

"Got that right." Robin began, and pulled up several screens of footage. "Plant creature have sprouted in Gotham City, Paris, Star City, Tai Pei-" He was suddenly cut off as the screens fizzed out of focus.

"Dude!" Wally said, as Robin quickly tried to correct his mistake.

"It's not me!" He snapped back, fingers flying over the keys. "Someone's blocking the satellite signal. All satellite signals!"

Suddenly the screen fizzed back into existence to reveal a frighteningly pasty face with thin red lips, green hair, and a manic grin. Cameron gasped, taking an involuntary step back. The Joker, one of the most psychotic villains in the world was on screen.

He tapped his knuckle against the screen with a fingerless gloved hand. "Ladies and gentleman. We interrupt your regularly scheduled Mayhem to bring you this important announcement." He flipped open a pocket knife, and swiveled the camera to show several other of the world's most notorious villains standing together in a group. "…from the In. Justice League!" He let out a quiet crazed chuckle.

Count Vertigo stood in the front. "_We_ are responsible for the attacks on your cities. If you wish to save them, a ransom of 10 billion american dollars is required. Delivery instructions have been sent to the United Nations, there is no time limit. But the longer your governments wait…" He trailed off, and Joker swiveled the camera back towards him.

"The more we get to have our… jollies." Joker cackled, leaning closer to the camera as the cameras switched off, leaving static on the holo screen.

Batman reached up and touched a communicator in his ear. "Roger that Aquaman, the UN will prepare the ransom as a fallback. But it **won't** come to that." He said, his voice practically daring the other man to argue otherwise.

Robin typed rapidly on the keyboard, rewinding the tape and pausing it on the group of villains. "Count Vertigo, the Joker, Poison Ivy, Ultra Humanite, Atomic Skull, Black Atom and Wo Tan? Seven heavy hitters." Robin listed off, red boxes appearing around the villains faces as he named them. "Probably responsible for everything and everyone we've faced." Robin theorized.

"There's your secret society." Wally said, and glanced in Cameron's direction.

"Not so secret anymore…." Artemis said, missing the exchange between the two.

"Perhaps after India they realized we would deduce the truth and saw no point in hiding anymore." Kaldur suggested.

"Yeah? Well that's their mistake." Wally said, and punched his fist into his palm. "Right now, I say we go kick some plant creature butt." He said with a smirk.

"The Justice League will handle the plants." Batman said, promptly shooting down Wally before he could get in the air. "I have a different job for this team."

"Aw man." Wally groaned, and Artemis promptly punched him in the arm, to which Cameron had to stifle a snort.

"With so many plants attacking so many locations simultaneously there must be a central control system. Your mission, is to destroy it."

"You realize what you are _really_ asking them to do?" Zatara asked quietly, stepping forward.

"They're ready." Batman replied, unruffled by the question.

"Ready?" Wally asked looking confused. "Ready for what?" Artemis punched him even harder this time. "Ow!" He yelped, rubbing his arm. "Will you cut that-"

"Hello Wally? If the big guns are -" Artemis started, before he covered her mouth.

"Hush up! You can't say my name in front of him!" Wally said, and seemed to realize she wasn't wearing her mask. "And where's your mask?!"

"I'm in my civvies if you hadn't noticed." Artemis slapping his hand away from her face to his annoyance. Cameron smiled. _That's my girl. _

"Anyway if the big guns are fighting plants, who do you think we'll be fighting?" She asked.

"I don't know! I guess we'll-" Artemis pointed, and they followed her gaze. "Oh…" Wally said, and stared at the villains.

Zatara sighed. "Well Batman, I trust you are correct."

"I trust you can locate the enemy." Batman replied smoothly. Cameron couldn't help but smile. _Man, this guy would definitely make Dad run for his money. _

"Indeed. Wotan's involvement suggests that sorcery is involved in how the plants are controlled." He turned to the boy wonder. "Robin, if you would provide the holo-map."

Robin quickly generated a 3D globe on the sensor pad. "I'll search for signs of concentrated sorcerer's activity." He stepped closer, and raised his gloved hands "Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros!"

A red dot suddenly appeared on the globe, beeping loudly as it blinked. "There, that is where you will find the Injustice League's central control system."

"Coordinates locked." Robin confirmed. "The Louisiana Bayou."

"And we're on our way." Kaldur said.

"We'll be needing all hands on board for this mission." Batman said, and walked over to Cameron. "This will be your first mission on parole." He said, and reached up and pressed a button on his collar.

Cameron gave a soft gasp, feeling the collar hiss and crack open before slipping from his neck and into his out stretched hands. A sensation like a cool breeze rippled across his skin and he looked back up at Batman. "Wait, what?" Cameron and Wally asked simultaneously.

"You can't trust him Batman!" Wally argued, stomping forward. Batman turned, paying him no mind.

"Kaldur will be acting as your parole officer. Do what he says, when he says so. Understood?" He asked as he walked back to the Zeta Tube, Zatara and Captain Marvel following.

"U-understood." Cameron said, stuttering in shock. Batman nodded, before all three were engulfed in golden light.

()()()()()()()

Cameron was very twitchy.

After quickly getting changed into a black tank and leggings, they had all piled into M'gann's bioship (apparently dubbed because of it's bizarre organic build) and were on their way to The Louisiana Bayou to face off against some of the most dangerous and HOLY CRAP HE WAS GOING AGAINST EVERY SINGLE TEACHING HE HAD EVER BEEN RAISED BY.

He anxiously chewed on the pad of his thumb, his jaw beginning to ache from it subtle rattling. Artemis was glancing over at him worriedly, but was unable to reach over and comfort him as she was seated on the opposite side of the plane. So it was slightly startling when a hand suddenly touched his shoulder, he started, an ice spike shot up and formed where Robin's hand had just been. "Woah!" Robin jumped, holding his hands up in surrender.

"God you scared me!" Cameron gasped; placing a cool hand over his now racing heart, letting the spike crumble off of his shoulder.

"Sorry... I was just trying to tell you you're getting frost all over the seat." Robin explained, pointing down at the floor and surrounding area that was now dusted with snowy fern like patterns.

"Oh." Cameron sighed, and brushed some of it away before flopping back in his seat. Robin looked at him. "What?" He asked, shifting under the younger boy's gaze.

"You seem anxious." He stated blandly.

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed." Cameron muttered, having now developed a jimmy leg.

"Listen, it's like I said with Artemis with the Reds. You can't be distraught. You have to get traught." Robin said simply.

Cameron gave him a weird look. "Much easier said than done bird brain." He grumbled, and ran his hand through his snowy hair.

"Trust me, it'll be much easier when we get there." Robin smiled and clasped a hand to his shoulder, moving back to his seat.

Cameron rolled his eyes. _We'll see about that_.

()()()()()()()

The talk_** had**_ ended up helping him calm down by the time they arrived in Louisiana, but the anxiety was not gone. Now it was only waiting for the other shoe to drop.

As the team sat in their seats, shuffling and preparing for the ensuing battle (or in Wally's case, chewing on a banana) Cameron started taking deep breaths in an effort to maintain calm.

"What's in the duffle?" Wally asked pointing out the bag next to Kaldur's seat.

"Plan B." Kaldur said mysteriously.

M'gann groaned, reaching up to rub her her head. "What's wrong? Superboy asked, immediately being the first to notice.

"Dizzy." She murmured, looking confused.

"Martians get air sick?" Robin asked with a cheeky grin.

"She does look a bit greener than usual…" Wally commented.

"Not me, her."

"I feel fine." Artemis said, shaking her head.

"Not _her_, the bioship." M'gann explained. "She's trying to shield us but-" Suddenly, something struck the ship from below, sending them pinwheeling wildly through the air. Cameron gasped and tucked into a ball in his seat, covering his head with his hands.

They struck the surface of the water, nearly rattling Cameron's brain free of his skull. The ship was suddenly being tugged from side to side as large monstrous vines wrapped themselves around its hull.

They looked up in surprise as a hole ripped open in the roof of the ship, revealing the snarling face of the Black Atom to the teenage youths. M'gann held her head, the seat belts becoming unlatched as she yelped. "He's hurting her!" She yelled, to which Superboy leapt up, knocking Black Atom away from the ship. However, now that he was gone, the vines continued to drag the ship down, water beginning to rush into the ship rapidly.

"NO. No way am I nearly drowning three missions in a row!" Artemis declared, digging around in the water and pulling up a rebreather, holding one up to Cameron and Kid Flash.

"Thanks babe." Cameron said, quickly sticking it in his mouth.

"Uh, yeah, thanks." Wally said, but not before giving Cameron a dirty look. Not that the former juvie could be bothered to care at the moment given the circumstances.

"M'gann, we need to get out. Open a hatch!" Superboy said loudly, shaking her shoulder as she held her head. She blinked. "Hello Megan?! Of course!" She said, and quickly morphed some gills in her neck as she dove under, telepathically opening a hole in the underside of the ship. Suddenly, there was a pressure in Cameron's head and it felt like a door had suddenly been opened with a definitive _**click**_.

_Out. Everybody out!_ Kaldur's voice suddenly rang in his head loudly. Cameron was infinitely glad be had chosen to pinch his nose before that, or he would have certainly inhaled some bayou water. _So that's what they meant by mental link. Huh._

_Get used to it._ Wally said as he slipped through M'gann's impromptu exit.

Cameron swam towards the exit, and ducked through it. He forced himself to open his eyes under the murky water and saw the others swimming away around a shaded corner. He quickly followed, feeling the water beginning to turn to slush around him.

Cameron climbed out of the water, his snowy white locks now flecked with dirt and grime from the water. He stood in the ankle deep mud, spitting out the rebreather to try and catch his breath. "She's in shock." M'gann said, looking back over the water to see the vines continue to drag the bioship below. "She'll need some time to recover-"

Suddenly, they all collapsed, and Cameron collapsed into the shallow water, crying out as waves of pain rattled his skull; causing him to lose all concept of up and down.

"Vertigo." He heard Wally say, and he struggled to lift his head.

"Count Vertigo to you Peasant." Count Vertigo sneered, keeping them pinned under his psychosis wave. Or he would have if Superboy hadn't tried to leap up, only to be punched back down by the Black Atom, knocking him unconscious.

While Vertigo was distracted, Kaldur quickly jumped to his feet. He grabbed his water bearers and quickly drew the water from around Cameron forward to smash into Count Vertigo, knocking him back. Cameron felt the pressure disappear, and quickly climbed back to his feet shaking mud from his hands.

_Robin. Miss Martian. Disappear. _Kaldur's voice commanded, as he glanced over at the other two heroes. _We will keep them busy. You two must fulfill the mission objective._

M'gann nodded and lifted into the air, vanishing into the environment, Robin fleeing into the forest.

Kaldur turned just in time to receive a harsh punch to the face, curtesy of the Atom Elf, as Cameron had now dubbed him. Wolf leapt forward and buried his fangs into the Atom's arm.

The man cried out and wildly swung his arm around, knocking the mutated animal off and sending him crashing into Artemis and Wally. "Artemis!" Cameron yelled, and barely managed to stumble back before the Atom nearly took out his head with a haymaker.

Ice erupted over his skin into his natural armor, and the Atom's eyes widened in surprise. "Leave my friends alone!" He shouted, and gave a blast of ice at Black Atom, the man gave a loud grunt and stumbled back, his arm being coated in ice.

Cameron took that opportunity to run, only to see Count Vertigo step forward out of the shadows, his suit soaked from Kaldur's distraction. The Count blinked. "What is this?" He asked, a smile growing on his face.

"Not what you think it is." Black Atom grunted deeply and smashed his arm into a nearby tree, shattering the ice around it like it was glass.

Cameron froze, staring up at the Count in fear. The royal villain sighed. "It is always a shame when one strays away from the Light…." He intoned, and Cameron vaguely felt dizzy as everything went dark….

()()()()()()()

Of the six of them, Cameron was one of the first to wake up, feeling Aqualad shift beside him.

"They awaken." Count Vertigo's voice floated above them, somewhere on top of their glowing cage. A glowing cage that was flying if the exterior was anything to go by. "You're certain this will hold them?"

"The Cage is impenetrable. Even the Superboy has no chance of escaping." Wotan's voice said confidently, as Kaldur sat up, grabbing the bars of the cage.

"You are not the only one trained in the mystic arts Wo Tan!" Aqualad growled, and began to pull at the bars, his trademark tattoos glowing bright before fizzling out, steam rising from his skin.

"Please Atlantean. Do not pretend you are in my league." Cameron leaned over and quickly moved to wake the others, immediately letting his ice armor form over his skin as he did so.

"Come on guys, this is not a good time for napping." He muttered, and helped Artemis sit up in the cramped cage.

No sooner than had he said that, There was a blur of red and a bang above them, before the cage vanished beneath them and caused them to free fall.

They tumbled through the air, and Cameron, seeing how far away they were from the ground, quickly twisted so he'd take the fall. "Cameron!" Artemis yelled, and the pale teen braced for impact…

They suddenly landed in something slushy. Cameron opened his eyes to see blonde, green and white. He blinked. "Are we dead?"

"Uh…surprisingly no…." Artemis said, pushing off of his chest to reveal that they had landed in a pile of snow. She turned and gasped, both of them getting up quickly as a large white gorilla lumbered up to them, holding a machine gun.

"I hate monkeys." Superboy growled, as he and Wolf leapt on the primate. Cameron, Artemis and Aqualad turned to see Poison Ivy standing over them, vines twisting and writhing around her as she grinned.

Aqualad and Artemis reached back for their weapons, only to meet air. "Ugh, I feel naked. And not in the fun way." Artemis said, dropping her hands.

Aqualad twisted his torso to the side, dodging Poison Ivy's strike. "We will make our own fun. We have been trained. Maneuver 7." He commanded, and Artemis darted toward him. He laced his hands together and she leapt into the makeshift stirrup to have him toss her into the air.

She flipped elegantly through the air, flying over the grasping vines and smacking her heel into Poison Ivy's face in a devastating axe kick.

He turned and saw Kid Flash sprint towards the Count and Black Atom as they arrived. "Wait! Don't!" He yelled, but it was too late. He had run straight into Vertigo's psychosis beam, and was slowing down to a stop only to have Black Atom bat him out of the way like a fly.

"WHERE ARE ROBIN AND THE MARTIAN?!" He demanded, eyes sharply scanning the battle zone. Poison Ivy gasped and turned.

"My Baby!" She cried out, seeing twinkling lights now decorating the monstrous plant. It exploded, the trunk like vines flopping to the side as flames began to consume it.

Cameron couldn't help but grin. _They did it_.

"Kill Them. Kill them all." Vertigo commanded viciously, pointing at the young heroes.

Cameron turned and quickly struck out at Poison Ivy, knocking her away and causing ice to form over her stomach, only to have the Atomic Skull knock him out of the way, his Ice armor shattering at the attack.

Lightning suddenly struck his back and he cried out, getting pinned to the ground by Wotan's attack.

Then, all of a sudden, the attack stopped. Cameron coughed sour water out of his mouth, looking over at Aqualad. He was holding a golden helmet over his head, preparing to put it on.

Wally sat up. "No Aqualad! Don't-!" Black Atom had punched the speedster, knocking him against a tree with a sickening crack. Superboy leapt over and socked Black Atom in the face, punch for punch.

Aqualad slipped on the helmet and there was a bright flash of golden light. Cameron hissed and blinked. Aqualad had suddenly changed. In addition to his helmet, he was now wearing an outfit of dark blues and gold, looking more like an ancient priest of some long lost religion than a superhero (if it weren't for the cape)

"Oh dude." Wally groaned, cradling his arm as he stood. Aqualad lifted off the ground, (_he can fly now?!_) and hovered across from Wotan.

"Wo Tan." Aquadlad declared, his voice now layered with a deeper, indecipherable one. "You are mine."

"What's going on?!" Cameron yelled to M'gann.

"He's wearing the Helmet of Fate! He's become Dr. Fate!" She yelled back, standing up out of the mud.

"Wonder Boy! You are Mine!" Cameron heard Joker mock in a deep voice, and turned to see that the Joker had pulled out a switch blade and was now trying to stab and slice at the younger teen. Robin backflipped out of the way and took a martial arts stance.

"Always wanted to carve this bird." Joker whispered, holding up a second blade with a grin.

Cameron darted towards him. "Leave him alone!" He yelled, and struck out at Joker's hand, freezing it solid.

Joker cried out in surprise, before he turned and grinned at the meta teen. "Ooh! Someone has to take a chill pill!" He cackled, and moved to take a slice at him, now using his frozen hand as both a blade and a hammer. Cameron dodged, rolling to the side and took up a position next to the Boy Wonder, his clothes now thoroughly soaked in mud.

"If this is what you guys consider fun, you're all crazy." He muttered, and Robin laughed.

"Trust me, you'll get used to it." He said, and they split up, dodging another of Joker's strikes. Cameron, who wasn't sure how much he was allowed to freeze his enemies, tried to freeze Joker's arms and legs.

But the demented clown was apparently very flexible, and twisted and contorted and dodged around his attacks with ease. He laughed crookedly. "For an ice cube you're certainly green around the ears!" He cackled at his own joke.

He swiveled and made to strike at Robin as a Batarang struck his unfrozen hand, knocking the blade from it. The Joker turned around, the thin red lips stretching even wider at the appearance of Batman, Aquaman, Black Canary, Green Arrow, the Green Lantern, Captain and Marvel dropping in on the group.

Cameron's shoulders sagged in relief. _The Calvary has arrived_. They landed in a large circle, barricading the villains inside of it. Batman stood in front of the group. "It's over." He said.

The villains glanced at each other, and raised their arms over their heads in surrender. Cameron's eyes widened at the scene. _That was me just three weeks ago….. _He thought, watching the way the villains bowed their heads in defeat. "There will be another day." Count Vertigo vowed bitterly.

"Another day?" came Joker's unstable voice. "ANOTHER DAY?! There won't be another day! NOT FOR ANY OF US!" He shouted cackling, spittle flying as he smashed a fist against a nearby free, freeing his frozen hand. He raised his hands over his head like a conductor and rapidly began twitching his fingers rapidly in a pattern.

Vines suddenly emerged from the muddy water, their blossoms exploding in a noxious green gas. "They're Joker venom spores! Don't breathe!" Batman commanded, socking Joker in the jaw as Cameron clasped his icy hands to his face, holding his breath.

"Fear Not!" Aqualad's voice came, echoing loudly across the bayou. A bright golden ankh appeared in front of him and suddenly, the gas seemed to move towards him, being absorbed into the ankh like a mystic sponge.

It vanished in a burst of golden light. "Fate has Intervened!" He shouted.

()()()()()()()

It was twenty minutes, and Cameron was exhausted. Aqualad had landed some time ago, and Wally had (finally) given him an explanation about what was currently going on in that Atlantean skull of his.

"I MEAN WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Wally shouted at the league members. "How could you let him put on the helmet?" He demanded, stomping through the mud as he paced. "Nabu will never release him now. Kaldur will be trapped inside Dr. Fate forever…." He whispered, bowing his head in grief.

Kaldur's vacant eyes suddenly blinked, and his hands reached up to grasp the helmet. Suddenly, the suit faded away to his normal attire as he pulled the helmet off of his head. Wally gasped and stepped up to Kaldur.

"Nabu let you go?" He asked, quietly relieved at his friend's safety.

"He almost did not." Kaldur admitted. "But your friend Kent was most helpful. He says hello."

"Wait Kent?" Cameron asked. "I thought you said he was dead?"

Wally blinked. "Yeah well…" Artemis chuckled.

"Still a non believer huh?" She laughed.

"We're done here." Batman said stiffly, regaining the young leaguers attention. "The Super Villain Secret Society has been neutralized. As for your performance… " He trailed off. Cameron stiffened, waiting for the verbal blow.

"… It was satisfactory." He said. Cameron exchanged a look with Artemis. She gave a tired smile. He smiled back. _That must be Batman's way of saying good work…_ He thought, and suddenly felt like he could belong somewhere, if he really wanted to.

()()()()()()()

CHAPTER SEVEN IS UP! HUZZAH! I hope you all enjoyed it, and please read and review! I really appreciate all of the support you've been giving me!


	8. Humanity

Cameron grunted, his arm stinging and aching as he clumsily blocked a punch from Superboy. He managed to sidestep his right hook, but didn't see the second fist aimed for his stomach until it hit. It was by no means full strength, but it still winded Cameron a little more than he would've liked.

He jumped back, and brought up his fists once more. "Good Job everyone." Black Canary called, stopping the scoring program. Artemis walked over and helped Robin back to his feet. "In fact, it's been a very productive week."

"Speak for yourself." Cameron muttered, as he tried to massage the feeling back into his arms, and grimaced as they prickled with minor bruises.

"Yeah, for everyone except Kid Malingerer." Artemis smirked, missing Cameron's words as the group turned to look at Wally, who was lounging in a chair with pineapple juice in one hand, and the other wrapped in a thick white cast. It had been a few days since the InJustice League's defeat, and Wally had reluctantly fallen to peer pressure and taken off his costume in front of Cameron. Although he stubbornly refused to tell him his last name, to which Cameron had answered with 'Whatever floats your boat dude.'

Wally spat out the straw he had been drinking from. "Hello! Arm broken in combat against the InJustice League here!" He said, waving the cast around to demonstrate.

Black Canary shook her head with a smile. "I really enjoyed being your uh…Den mother this week." She said, smiling at them.

Cameron shuffled uncomfortably with that. He was never really comfortable with the term 'Mother' in general, since his own had passed when he was young, too young to remember, but young enough to remember that it was very different around the Mahkent home afterwards….

"Recognized: Zatara. One, one." The Zeta Tube stated, as the magician stepped out onto the platform. Without even greeting them, he immediately went over and pulled out a holo screen next to the transporter, and began to type across the keyboard.

"Access granted. Zatanna Zatara, A zero three. Authorization, Zatara 1 1." The tube began to hum once more, and this time a young girl stepped out of the golden glow, wearing a navy blue school girl outfit, her silky, wavy black hair brushed and shy powder blue eyes looking out at the group.

"Zatanna, this is the team." Zatara said, tucking his magic cane under this arm. "Team, my daughter Zatanna."

Zatanna stepped towards the group shyly, glancing around the cave in curiosity. M'gann floated over to her. "Hi I'm-"

"Robin!" The Boy Wonder said loudly, suddenly springing in front of M'gann. "I mean, I'm Robin…" He said, straightening up properly. "This is M'gann, and that's Wally, Artemis, Kaldur, Superboy and…" Robin paused, unsure of how to introduce Cameron without scaring her.

Cameron heaved a sigh. _Yep, time for the awkward introductions._ "I'm Cameron Mahkent." Cameron announced solemnly, preparing for horrified gasps or sudden explosions in his direction.

Zatanna merely nodded, surprising him. "It's okay, my Dad already told me about you." She said, smiling shyly at him.

"Oh." Cameron said, and suddenly felt much more awkward. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Welcome to the Cave." Kaldur rescued him, smiling warmly at Zatanna.

"Thanks." She said, and glanced off to the side.

"So, a-are you joining the team?" Robin asked, grinning very excitedly at her. Cameron let the awkwardness shift to confusion. What was with Robin suddenly? Did he sneak a gallon of coffee when he wasn't looking?

Zatara intervened before she could answer. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." He said, taking off his top hat and holding it to his chest. "This is strictly a visit. I **am** sorry for missing the training" He continued, turning to Black Canary. "It's something from which Zatanna could benefit."

Cameron stiffened as he felt the click in his head once more. _Do any of you get the impression we're still on probation from Zatara?_ M'gann's voice asked in his head, and Cameron glanced at her.

_Not just Zatara. I mean, why's Marvel still hanging around?_ Superboy asked, his voice louder than M'gann's as he gestured down the hall Captain Marvel had flown down a while ago.

_Because we like having him around. _Wally said, with a smile.

_You like having him around because he waits on you hand and foot._ Artemis said, smirking at him.

_And your point is?_ Wally asked, honestly looking confused. Cameron grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Kaldur crossed his arms. _It almost makes one nostalgic for Red Tornado's tenure as our supervisor… _

_Yeah. At least he trusted us_. Robin said, glancing back at Zatanna, who blinked on in confusion.

Cameron shifted. Honestly, he didn't have an opinion of the guy. He had only just met the guy a few seconds before he went psycho on the Team. He couldn't make the call on wether it was really a

_If you ignored the fact we shouldn't have trusted him, he was a traitor!_ Superboy growled, tossing his hands in the air. _That Machine nearly got M'g- all of us killed!_ He said, a snarl making it's way onto his face.

Zatanna stepped forward. "Are… you guys having a psychic conversation?" She asked bluntly. They turned to her in surprise. "'Cause I can't decide if that's cool or really rude." She said.

"Thank you." Cameron said, rubbing his temples from the psychic pressure bubble forming in his head from Superboy's angst.

Superboy could feel Zatara's and Black Canary's eyes at his back. "Fine." He spat, and turned to the League members. "We were talking about Tornado. It's been weeks since his attack, and the league hasn't told us anything." Superboy said, slashing his hand through the air.

Black Canary's eyes softened. "The League is searching for Red Tornado as well as the other androids that invaded the Cave, and their creator T. O. Morrow. Batman has made tracking them down our highest priority."

"But you found none of the above!" Robin accused.

"Not yet." Black Canary said patiently. "But Tornado is Justice League. The Team is Not to pursue this." Black Canary said with an air of finality.

"Why don't you take Zatanna on a uh….." They looked around, no seeing her in site. "…tour of the cave…." he finished weakly. Cameron turned and spotted her curled up next to wolf, stroking his fur lovingly.

"You're giving a tour? Cool!" Captain Marvel said, carrying a tray of nachos as Wolf bounded over to him.

"Actually, I was hoping you'd take Wolf outside, he needs the exercise. We'll join you in a few…" Superboy said, as Captain Marvel patted the large wolf's white head.

"Sure, sure, I can do that!" Captain Marvel said, and ran off with the oversized canine.

"But what about my nachos?!" Wally asked, looking genuinely stricken before Superboy grabbed him by the front of his shirt and dragged him with them.

Cameron shook his head and followed, padding barefooted after them in his leggings.

Zatanna walked up next to Robin, how in a pale lilac tank and white capris. Robin started looking up and down at her in surprise. "When did you- How did you-?"

"We're not really going to be taking a tour are we?" She asked in a bored tone, practically begging them to say otherwise.

Cameron looked at her in surprise. _Huh, a goody two shoes with a rebellious streak. Who knew?_ And here he had been thinking they were all just little soldiers just following orders….

"No." Superboy answered darkly. "We're hunting down that robot." He glanced at Kaldur.

Kaldur's expression hardened. "Yes. We are."

"Oh wow. Out loud and everything." She said, smiling.

Artemis shifted. "What about New girl?" She asked, glancing over at Robin worriedly.

"I'm sure she won't tell." He said.

Zatanna turned to him. "Not if you kidnap me." She said, looking like a cat that had just been given a big fat bowl of cream.

"Oh, she's gonna fit in great." Artemis said, grinning.

"I'll say." Cameron said, and let the ice armor form over his skin.

()()()()()()()

Cameron leaned into the seat of the bioship as they flew away from the mountain, sitting in the middle of the floor in front of M'gann's chief seat as Zatanna had taken the only other prebuilt seat in the ship.

Suddenly, the intercom clicked on. "Um, M'gann? The bioship wasn't authorized for departure…" Black Canary said.

Cameron glanced back at M'gann, who was already in control. "We're kidnapping Zatanna!" She blurted cheerily. Cameron's jaw dropped is she serious- "uh, to show her Downtown…." M'gann explained, and smiled at Cameron.

Cameron sagged back into his seat. God they made him nervous.

With these guys it sometimes made him feel like he was flying by the seat of his pants. His Dad was much more experienced and organized than this…

He shook his head free of thoughts of his father. _No, Dad's behind bars. He can't tell me what to do anymore._ He frowned, trying to nail the thoughts into his subconscious._ But for how long…?_ A tiny voice whispered back to him. He felt a shiver down his neck. God help him then….

He was pulled out of his thoughts as M'gann wrapped up the call, the intercom clicking off once more.

"Where are we going?" Kid Flash finally demanded, the bioship flying somewhat aimlessly over the unnamed countryside. (Hey, they might've halfway trusted him at this point, but they still had a right to be wary of him with what was going on at this point, especially in regards to the location of certain bases.)

"Batman is the world's greatest detective." Robin said blatantly. "And he's searched for Tornado and Morrow in every logical location. If we're going to do better, we need an illogical solution." He said, and turned around to face the rest of the team. "A truly dumb idea." His eyes fell on Cameron.

Cameron suddenly realized **everyone's** eyes were now laying on him, including Artemis'. He flushed. "What?" He asked loudly.

Kaldur sighed. "It was….well known in the league you were prone to making poor choices in battle." He admitted, and Cameron's cheeks were ever so slightly pink, his skin's equivalent to turning a bright cherry tomato.

He crossed his arms uncomfortably. "Yeah well…."

Artemis turned to him. "Do you have any ideas on how to find Tornado or Morrow?" She asked. Cameron looked at her, her dark brown, almost black eyes wide with earnest. He fought the urge, but sighed, surrendering.

"I might know a guy that might know about Morrow…" He started, and swallowed.

"Where can we find him?" Superboy asked eyes burning with determination and a need for revenge.

Cameron turned back to him solemnly. "Belle Reve Penitentiary."

()()()()()()()

"Warden Strange owed us a favor for stopping last month's prison break. He's given us five minutes with you." M'gann said, leaning over the table Dr. Ivo was sitting at.

Cameron shifted, glancing out at the two way mirror across from them. It had only been a few weeks ago he himself had been in here, talking to Batman. He shuddered, crossing his arms to touch the recently healed rib.

"Spill Ivo. Tell us how to find T.O. Morrow and his Reds." Superboy demanded.

The elderly man blinked and leaned back. "Why in the world would I know about how to find Morrow?" He asked, his voice every bit sounding like an old man who'd rather be at home drinking tea and reading a good book than the evil scientist Cameron knew him to be.

"Because, and this is a dumb idea." Kid Flash said, stepping up to the table. "You're Morrow's biggest competitor in the evil android game. Who better to keep track of what he's up to, and where…?" Kid Flash trailed off, giving him a look.

"Oh," He said, and laced his fingers together. "I see your point. So let me rephrase. Why in the world would I tell you where to find Morrow?" He asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"He knows." Kaldur stated, he turned to M'gann. "Do what you must."

Miss Martian closed her eyes, and opened them to reveal glowing neon green eyes. Ivo sat back and chuckled. "Oh please, as if I haven't faced a telepath before." He gave a nasty smile, and glanced over at Cameron. "Perhaps you're father will be interested to hear about what you've been up to junior…" He laughed, as Cameron tensed under his gaze.

Ivo turned to see Zatanna suddenly leaning over his chair. "Trulb tuo S'worrom eurt noitacol!" She said, eyes blazing.

"Morrow's in a secret underground base in Yellow Stone National Park 100 meters south of Old Faithful." Ivo blurted out in a monotone voice, causing him to stare down at his own mouth.

The team stared at her in surprise. Ivo clasped his hands to his mouth. "Wait! What just happened?!" He asked, looking around at the teens.

_Huh,_ Cameron thought. _Well whaddya know, it's not just me…._

()()()()()()()

"Block out all external communications." Kaldur was saying as they flew towards Yellowstone. "Soon Canary and Zatara, Batman too I imagine, will know of our…..visit, to Dr. Ivo. We haven't much time."

"Look, I'm just trying to be all nonchalant here-" Robin began

"Why? Be as chalant as you like." Zatara said, causing Robin to grin like an idiot.

"I think we're all just trying to get a handle on your powers. Like, can you teleport us to Tornado, or Morrow to a jail cell or force his bots to surrender?"

"Or create peace on earth for all time?" Zatanna added with a laugh. "Zatara couldn't even do all that and I'm no where near my Dad's level. I need to know a spell cold, or else have time to prep it. Plus all magic requires energy which usually has to come from within." She said, staring down at her hand. "I just can't make the impossible happen at will."

"What's our ETA to Yellowstone?" Superboy snarled loudly. "I'm way past ready to shove Red Tornado into a trash compactor!"

"Are you so certain he betrayed us?" Kaldur asked calmly from behind him.

"Aren't you?!" Superboy snapped.

"I am not convinced." Kaldur glanced off to the side, his pale steel grey eyes calculating. "And even so, that makes him but a victim of his creator's programming. Certainly he deserves a chance to prove he is more than the weapon others designed him to be."

Superboy turned around, having been effectively cowed by Kaldur's words. Cameron shuddered, and tried not to think about the tingling along his skin after they had finally left Belle Reve.

"You okay?" Artemis whispered as the others continued to talk and debrief to each other.

"Yeah." He lied, flashing a forced smile at her. "Just hadn't expected to head back to prison so soon." He joked, and she gave a snort.

But once she turned back around, he grimaced and sighed through his nose. To be honest, he really hadn't wanted to go back to prison, if only to avoid the other inmates and (potentially) his father. But if Ivo followed through on his threat (which Cameron was positive of now thanks to Zatanna's little show back there) if his father ever got out….?

May the Lord have mercy on his soul.

()()()()()()()

They landed in Yellow Stone National Park, and promptly climbed out of their seats.

"Stealth mode." Aqualad ordered, tapping the front of his suit. The Red of his suit bled away to reveal a black tank top. Kid Flash tapped his chest, and the bright yellow was also replaced with black. M'gann allowed her dress and T-shirt to morph into a black body suit and cloak.

Cameron didn't bother. His tank top and black leggings were dark enough to blend with the night. He took a deep breath and listened to the crackling of ice as his armor settled into place.

Zatanna moved towards the ramp as it opened into the park. Kaldur stepped forward. "I recommend you stay behind." He said.

"Is that an order?" She asked, her blue eyes mischievous.

"No." Kaldur said, shaking his head. "You must do as you see fit." He responded.

"Good." Zatanna smiled. "Emit ot yrt tuo eht wen kool!" She chanted, becoming temporarily engulfed in a swirling cloud of smoke, before it dispersed to reveal her standing there in a female version of her father's costume.

"Cool!" Cameron grinned.

She flashed a grin at him as she jogged out the door, the Team moving into formation behind her.

()()()()()()()

They pulled up behind Robin who had ducked behind a boulder. He pulled open the screen of his holo watch. "Ivo was right, there's definitely something there!"

Aqualad darted past him running towards the base, everyone following at his heels. Suddenly, wind began to pelt them wildly, seeing them skidding back. Cameron landed on his back, and held up a hand against the wind and squinted against the dust and dirt flying around him to see the red figure flying above the group.

Red Tornado spread his arms, and several twisters spun around the Team, each spiraling in varying shades of crimson. "Why Tornado?! Why are you doing this?!" M'gann yelled over the howling winds. The android crossed his arms, watching on impassively as he mentally called up more twisters.

Suddenly, an image burned its way into Cameron's mind. An image of words being blown into the sand.

_Message received?_ M'gann asked, and Superboy twitched his head in an imperceptible nod.

"Who cares why? Nail him!" Superboy yelled, running toward's Red Tornado's figure.

Aqualad ran after him. "Quick! Maneuver 7!"

Superboy turned and steepled his hands together, Aqualad jumping and letting Superboy toss him into the air, aiming for a punch to Red Tornado's jaw. But the android was faster, delivering a haymaker to Aqualad's jaw and knocking him back down into Superboy. Robin and Artemis ran forward, Artemis firing explosive arrows at Tornado, only to have the robot blast them back with a burst of wind. Artemis and Robin tried to dodge, but were too late, being knocked back by the explosion.

"That's it Red! You're not the only spin doctor around here!" Wally yelled, and began spinning like a top, becoming a massive black blur of a tornado. M'gann, who had snuck up behind Red Tornado, moved to strike with a punch. The android turned and grabbed the offering limb and flipped her over his shoulder, sending her headlong into KF's personal tornado.

They crashed to the ground unconscious. Cameron ran forward with a battle cry trying to ram the base of the tornado and knock him out of the air. But another powerful gust sent him flying back, knocking him and Zatanna together to the ground.

They lay in the dirt, completely still as the wind churned and howled around them. Suddenly, they heard a deep robotic voice and a rumble of rock. "Quite a performance brother, but we both know that's all it was." Cameron tensed, toes curling as he prepared to get back up again.

"I have all your memories Tornado." The robot said bluntly. "Plus a next gen. processor. I know your next move before you do." There was a crumbling sound, and Cameron sat up to see that there was a robot with bright red lines glowing along his body standing on a stone platform next to Tornado, and was apparently ripping up a large piece of earth to use as a weapon.

"Blowing a message into the sand?" The robot scoffed, holding up the stone behind him with the message, before crushing it with a flex of his body and sending it hurtling towards the team. Superboy and Kaldur let out battle cries, leaping towards the rocks and crushing and shattering the large boulders.

"Get behind me!" Cameron shouted, and Robin, Artemis and Zatanna jumped behind the former juvie. Cameron felt the icy chill leap up his arms and raised them over his head, forming a large shield around the group against the still large boulders that got past the two non humans.

It shattered, and sent Cameron and the others skidding across the sand. Robin had to dodge a rage rock that had gotten past Cameron's defense. There was a small cry from Zatanna as dust erupted from the attack. _Zatanna? _Robin asked quickly through the mind link.

_I'm fine._ She confirmed and turned. _But Red Tornado is getting away!_ She said, pointing out the red figure flying off.

_Is he abandoning us?!_ Artemis asked loudly, running forward with her bow.

_I don't believe that._ M'gann said confidently, and flew towards the tall earth user.

Kid Flash darted up the side of the stone tower, trying to punch the enormous glowing red figure. "You stand no chance against me humans!" He said, and batted Kid Flash out of the way like a fly.

"We're not human!" Superboy and M'gann shouted simultaneously as they both moved to attack the robot.

"Apologies." He said, and raised his arms. "I suppose the properly inclusive term is," two enormous earthen hands reaching up to slam the two aliens together in their palms. "Meatbags."

He swept his hand, opening a deep trench under Artemis' and Kaldur's feet, sending them tumbling down into the earth.

"Artemis!" He cried, before a few second later, Artemis swung out out of the opening just as the earth bot crushed the earth back together, holding Kaldur.

Robin leapt onto a rock mound before swinging an explosive birdarang at the figure, who caught it without even looking at it. It exploded in a burst of red and yellow light.

Cameron nearly cheered before the smoke cleared to reveal the robot without a scratch on his figure. "Tornado's memory files and my superior processing allow me to anticipate your every move." He repeated, sounding more irritated, probably because he was getting annoyed that the humans weren't accepting that fact.

"Emoks emoceb a dlofdnilb!" Zatanna cried, and suddenly the smoke solidified around the android's face, blinding him. He grasped at it angrily.

"Tornado didn't know my moves!" Zatanna yelled back cheerily.

"And I bet you've got some good ones!" Robin added, and started. "Sorry, that might've come off a little too Wally."

Zatanna chuckled. "I don't mind."

_Alright, can we please get back on topic people?_ Cameron said, as the Robot's eyes glowed red through the blindfold, having finally succeeded in tearing it off with his laser vision.

Suddenly, the mountain behind him exploded into lava. "THERE'S A VOLCANO?!" Cameron yelled, eyes widening at the destruction as the molten rock began to burn it's way down the mountain.

()()()()()()()

Wally dodged the molten flaming rocks that Red Volcano was hurling at him and landed in a crouch, his white cast glowing orange in the light. _He's activated a stage 2 eruption. If it gets to a stage 3? Kiss the hemisphere goodbye!_

Aqualad pulled out his water blades. _Hit him from all sides!_ He said, jumping towards the figure. _Cameron, see about what you can do with the lava, make sure it doesn't reach the forest._

_I can do that!_ He called back, and ran over to the lava. He struck at it with his ice powers, causing a cloud of steam to erupt at the site. He kept it moving, slowing down the progress of the molten rock as it began to cool and harden under his abilities.

Suddenly his attention was diverted as M'gann screamed. "M'gann!" Superboy yelled, moving to help his girlfriend.

Red Volcano flipped like a gymnast, slamming into the earth between the two. He slapped Superboy away and picked M'gann up by the hood of her cloak, letting her dangle in his grip.

"Ekoms dna srorrim... Etaerc Dik Hsalf snoisulli!" Zatanna chanted, and suddenly the clouds of smoke and ash transformed into numerous versions of Kid Flash, to moved to attack the figure.

"I use a scaled down version when I want to sneak out of the house!" She said.

Cameron shook his head at her in disbelief. She was even less focused in battle than he was! Speaking of focus….

He turned and saw that Kid Flash had managed to reclaim M'gann, and skidded back into position with Superboy and Kaldur.

All of a sudden, a tower of water erupted from underground, lifting up into the air like a snake and slamming into Red Volcano. "Nice hit!" Robin yelled to Kaldur, who looked confused.

"The hit was not mine. Look!" He said, pointing out the other red figure there. The Red water robot from the original attack stood there, before rising on a wave into the air and sending two tendrils of water onto their attacker.

There was a hiss of steam and suddenly Red Volcano was trapped in solid molten rock. He tried to rise himself out of it with the molten rock, only to have Red Tornado slam into the base, sending the figure tumbling back into the lava.

He stood up, the team watching in awe and shock as the Red fire user started hurling fireballs at him.

She landed in front of him and began to grapple with him. "Sister! Brothers! Stop!" He yelled, only to have the Water User land on him, both of them holding him under the surface. Red Tornado flew above them, diving on top of them and standing in the lava.

Superboy ran over and tackled Red Tornado, pulling him out of the lava as it suddenly exploded. They barely had a moment to catch their breath before the rock underneath them shifted, and started to tremble.

"Quick! Red Tornado! We're on top of a stage 3 super volcano eruption! There's no turning back from that! We need to vent pressure fast!" Kid Flash yelled, looking down at Red Tornado, his everything below his knees having melted off. "But the ash cloud will bring on a worldwide Nuclear winter unless you divert it!"

The Robot nodded silently.

"Triangulate around the pressure focus!" Wally said, and Robin pulled out his Holo computer, sweat beginning to form over his skin. He pulled up a 3D image of the mountain. "There, there, and there!" He announced, three large red dots appearing on the map.

Artemis turned and fired three arrows, each one exploding into the mountainside. The mountain exploded into black smoke, the cloud erupting into the air.

Red Tornado's legs sizzled with electricity, before he forced himself into the air. The kids watched on fearfully as he flew high above the volcano, quickly becoming lost in the blackened clouds above them.

The ash began to move, a crimson tornado moving and sucking the blackened air like a vacuum into the sky. The air began to cool, and Cameron watched as the molten lava turned red and began to cool along the sides of the volcano.

"Yes!" Wally cheered, pumping his cast into the air.

Suddenly, Cameron spotted a red figure floating down. "There!" He yelled, and ran over as Red Tornado collapsed onto the ground, all of the Team moving to surround him.

()()()()()()()

"There, that should do it." Robin announced, stepping back from Red Tornado's form.

"Yes. I can speak again." The Robot confirmed, letting his face fold back into position over his voice box.

He turned to Cameron. "It is a pleasure to meet you properly."

Cameron started. "Uh…..yeah, you too…?" He said, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save the planet." Aqualad said, stepping forward.

"The planet would have survived. It was humanity that was saved, but not by me. My sister and my brother, they were the true heroes of this day." He said, his monotone voice almost sounding sad about their loss. Aqualad placed a webbed band on his shoulder.

"My point is this," Aqualad continued. "You were never the mole. Never the traitor."

"No." He confirmed. "I left to protect you from further attack and to find my creator Morrow."

"Cool!" Cameron turned to see Wally and Robin rummaging through spare robot parts, wally holding an enormous red hand. "Souvenir!"

Robin turned holding an enormous red leg. "Reddy! We can rebuild you! Better than before!" He yelled cheerily, holding up the leg for the team to see.

The Robot looked up at the ceiling. "I do not believe I should be repaired."

Cameron frowned, his words striking a chord in him.

Superboy turned. "Why did you volunteer to become our den mother in the first place?" He demanded.

"I was the pragmatic choice." Red Tornado stated. "I do not require sleep. I have no secret identity or second life to live."

"You do have advanced A.I. programing designed to learn, adapt, evolve!" Wally realized, moving the robot hand's fingers as he counted off the words.

"Hello Megan!" M'gann slapped herself on the forehead. "You wanted to become more human!"

"And you couldn't do that with the League." Artemis chuckled. "They're stiffs."

"You're sure not going to learn emotion from Batman." Robin added. "Trust me."

"Then the cave was not a proving ground only for us, but for you as well." Aqualad said, looking a Red Tornado.

"I do not know if these statements are accurate. But perhaps, they are true." He said, seeming to consider the idea. "And if I understand the term correctly, I believe I have come to….care about you all."

"See, practically a meat bag already." Superboy said blandly. Cameron smirked.

"Which reminds me…." Red Tornado said quietly.

()()()()()()()

Cameron sat back on the ride home, feeling quite tired from the endeavor.

"So," Robin started, leaning over to look at Zatanna. "Good Kidnapping?" He asked with a smile.

"Actually, yeah! Best ever." She said, smiling at him.

"First of many I hope." Robin said.

"If my Dad doesn't ground me for life." She said back, sounding irritated about it.

"He's trying to protect you." Cameron said, and turned to her. He had seen in the way Zatara had stood when talking about his daughter to Black Canary, in his expression. He knew his father had never stood like that when he was around. "You don't know what you have Zatanna. Don't be so quick to throw it away."

Zatanna blinked at him, but nodded in surprise. Cameron nodded and sat back, feeling the last of the icy tingles at the back of his neck fade away.


	9. Failsafe

()()()()()()()()

Cameron watched the footage on the screen crossing his arms as he watched the deaths of the Justice League's top members. Red Tornado turned off the screen, Zatara's face appearing on a second one.

"Tornado, did you...?" His expression was pained.

"Yes Zatara. We saw." He responded, a thin undercurrent of worry lacing the otherwise monotonous voice. "Celestial defenses have failed. Initiate all terrestrial measures."

Zatara nodded. "Affirmative. See you in the field." He cut the connection.

"I must join the league." Tornado stated, turning back to the teens. "We will protect the planet at all costs. But should we fail, the responsibility falls to you."

Kaldur glanced over at the other teens. "We stand ready."

()()()()()()()

"This is Iris West Allen reporting Live. Extraterrestrials have brought their relentless global attack to Central City!" The red headed woman reported, as civilians screamed and ran in fear of the attackers.

She started as the alien's weapons struck the archway behind her, and killed several civilians. There was a red blur, and she was gone as a blast struck the spot she had just been standing.

The Camera man looked around in confusion, and suddenly the screen was blinded by gold, and he was standing on a roof, Zatara standing before him. The Flash appeared on screen once more, setting the reporter back on her feet.

"You should both be safe here." Zatara said hurriedly. "At least for now."

"Thank you…. Flash." The Reporter said haltingly, seemingly in shock. "And Zatara?" She said, blinking between the two of them. The Flash gave her a pat on the shoulder and sped away, Zatara following his lead on a magical platform.

"Denny, you okay?" She asked the cameraman, who held his hand out in a thumbs up sign. "As you can see," she gestured, obviously trying to get back into the reporter mindset. "The Justice League is attempting to hold the line."

The Flash and Zatara had just arrived on a building that was on fire, preparing to rescue several civilians trapped on the roof. An Alien ship dive bombed them, and shot out at them.

The roof exploded in a cloud of dust and debris. "No…" She said, reaching out as some of their hope slipped away. The camera pulled out into the studio, as a ship flew up behind the unsuspecting reporter.

"Iris! Iris get out of there!" The blonde Anchorwoman yelled, and the camera fizzled before going dead.

She sat down, attempting to calm herself. "I'm sorry, we're experiencing technical difficulties from our Central City feed." She said in a calm voice, even as she glanced back at the monitor. "We take you now to a devastated Tai Pei,

where another League Contingent is having a bit more luck." The once brightly lit city was being torn asunder, building rapidly catching fire and people's screams echoing down the street. A ship flew by, promptly killing off both of the Hawk heroes.

Green Arrow and Black Canary were tag teaming on top of a building, ships exploding at Black Canary's voice as Green Arrow shot at and blew holes into the side of the oncoming invasion. Suddenly, a ship flew in through the cloud of

smoke and disintegrated them. The screen fizzled out.

The Blonde anchorwoman turned back slowly. "Ladies and gentlemen, we've lost Black Canary, Green arrow, and the Hawks. Other heroes reported dead or missing include Batman, Icon, Atom, and Aquaman."

Cameron turned as the communicator in the Cave computer turned on. "Red Tornado to Cave. I fear I am all that remains of the League."

"Our team-!" Robin didn't even get to finish his sentence as the communication cut off.

Cameron stared up at the screens, watching the horror unfold. "We are Earth's Heroes now." Kaldur said solemnly.

"So what are we waiting for? A theme song?" Superboy asked, raising an eyebrow at Aqualad.

"A strategy." Kaldur responded, stepping forward. "Earth's weapons are ineffective, and it has been made tragically clear that direct attack will not succeed."

"Checking satellite imagery." Robin said, opening the 3D Global map. It expanded, taking up the entire sensor pad. There were areas like angry burns across the earth, red areas staining each and every continent. "Here is where the aliens are now."

"This one get lost?" Superboy asked, pointing to one very concentrated area near the Baltic Sea.

The globe lowered, focusing in on the location. Robin's eyes widened. "That's Superman's Fortress of Solitude!"

Superboy raised an eyebrow. "Superman has a Fortress of Solitude?"

"That's a bit much for a guy wearing spandex don't you think?" Cameron commented, earning a poke in the rib from Artemis' elbow.

"It's power source must have attracted the aliens' attention." Robin said, apparently ignoring Cameron's attempt at humor. "At least enough to send a scouting ship to investigate."

"Must be some fortress." Superboy grumbled turning away.

"Connor..." M'gann started, gently wrapping a gloved hand around his bicep.

"No, it's okay." Superboy said, turning back to her. "I guess there's a lot about Superman I'll never know." He said bitterly. "Well, you know… now..." Superboy added lamely.

Cameron raised an eyebrow._ I guess Batman was right, we do have Daddy issues_.

"We will target this lone ship." Kaldur said, eyes set determinedly on the red dot.

"Yeah, break it down! Build more! Hit those ugly aliens with their own mojo!" Kid Flash said loudly, punching his fist into his opposite palm.

Artemis punched him in the arm. "Ow!" He yelped.

"Martian and Kryptonian in the house." Artemis said, glancing over at the other two heroes.

"Not that all aliens are automatically ugly." He explained with a sheepish smile.

Cameron snorted. "Dumbass." He said, and they all walked off towards the bioship.

()()()()()()()

Cameron hid behind an icy dune, wearing a white tank top and pale blue leggings as he watched the ship closely; waiting for M'gann's thumbs up signal.

The ship suddenly groaned, and a large piece of machinery was suddenly torn off, causing it to wobble in the air and collapse onto the ice.

_Communications disabled. _M'gann called. _Propulsion disabled. _Artemis turned and fired off an arrow at the lower component of the ship, blocking out the red tinted window with a dark foam. Suddenly, the gun spun, aiming towards her dune.

_And ET's are sealed inside! _Artemis called back, having been missed by inches by a stray blast.

Aqualad burst through the ice, landing on top of the ship. The gun turned to fire at him, only to be tackled by Wolf, who snarled as he bit into the machine. The beam swung, trying to rid itself of the animal.

Superboy grabbed the machine, and Wolf dropped to the ground. Kid Flash and Robin darted forward, Cameron following, raising the frozen water to merge and freeze the ship into the ice, holding it in place.

Robin flipped onto the spaceship, and pulled out his holo computer. _Identifying weapons' structural stress points and links to the ship. _Robin said through the mind link. _Here, here and here! _He said, pointing to each point on the ship.

M'gann let out a telekinetic pulse, slicing through the material. Superboy began to pull on the gun, trying to rip it from it's socket.

Suddenly, Wolf knocked Superboy out of the way just as a beam exploded from it's base, erasing him from existence.

Superboy landed in a roll, and turned back in shock. _Wolf... _M'gann murmured quietly, her mouth open in shock.

_Oh no... _Cameron softly sighed into the dry frozen air.

Robin turned back to his computer. _There was no indication of feed back... .I'm sorry... _He said, turning back to Superboy.

_...Can't do anything for him now... _He answered back quietly, and began to make his way back over to the ship.

He began to tear at the gun once more. _Let's go_. He growled. Finally, the gun came free of it's wiring, and M'gann and Superboy hopped over onto the camouflaged bioship.

M'gann placed her hands along the side of the ship._Rerouting systems integrate the weapon into the ship's bio matrix. _She said, as they joined her on the ship. _I'll need to de-camouflage for a few minutes. _She said, letting the ship fade back into existence.

_We may not have a few minutes_. Robin warned, and Cameron looked up to see two ships beginning to make a flyby. They began to turn back towards them.

_Miss Martian! Open fire! _Kaldur ordered.

_Can't! Weapons systems are offline to incorporate the new cannon, and that's not fully integrated yet either! _She said, her hands still working on the ship, which was attempting to meld itself with the weapon.

_Gotcha covered! _Artemis shouted, stepping out from behind the dune to aim at the flying ships. _Get inside! _She said, letting loose 3 arrows.

_Artemis get over here! _Cameron yelled, turning to run over to her.

_I'm almost there! _She shouted, darting through the snow towards him.

One of the ships crashed into the ice behind her. It's gun turned and began to hum angrily.

_Artemis behind you! _M'gann called.

Artemis whipped around, turning to shoot her bow before she was engulfed in golden light.

"ARTEMIS!" Cameron and M'gann screamed, reaching out for her.

"Artemis!" Kid Flash yelled, as Aqualad slid down the ship and pulled out his weapons.

"Get inside! All of you!" He yelled, changing the weapons into watery whips.

But they weren't needed.

Cameron let out a scream of rage, and threw his arms forwards, sending a wave of icy spikes through the ship's hull and through the gun. He watched it explode, and he couldn't help but scream. _That wasn't enough, it wasn't enough!_

He let out a grief stricken cry, and ripped open the wasteland, sending towers of spikes in every direction. "ARTY!"

He fell to his knees, angry tears running down his face and punched the snow. "No!"

"They're dead! Every single alien if it's the last thing I do!" Wally said savagely behind him.

Cameron stood slowly, and turned to Wally, glistening tear tracks freezing along his ice armor as his eyes burned with vicious revenge. "I'll be right at your side." He said.

()()()()()()()

It was silent in the ship, Cameron trying to ignore the tears that were still stubbornly making their way down his face as he felt the cool air, which was normally comforting, numbing him. He felt empty and hollow.

M'gann was gasping, trying to contain the tears prickling at her eyes.

Finally, Wally snapped, beginning to beat the console with his fists, shouting angrily with grief.

"There will be time to mourn later." Kaldur said, determinedly soldiering on past his grief. "Now, we have a job to do. Defend the Earth, and make sure Artemis' sacrifice was not in vain."

"Back to the Cave?" M'gann asked; her eyes wide and full of pain and grief.

"The Hall of Justice. The Human race must know that there are still heroes defending them." He said, looking every bit the leader of the Team.

"There is still Hope."

()()()()()()()

They had just arrived just in time to see that the Washington government building was being attacked by the alien invaders. "Superboy! Get out there and draw their attention!" Kaldur ordered.

Superboy nodded, and M'gann opened a hole for him to drop through. He jumped, landing on top of one of the spaceship's gun, crushing it under his momentum before proceeding to punch the hull repeatedly with his superhuman fists.

The ship began to veer off course, smoke rising from its engines.

M'gann fired off their recently acquired gun, shooting down the other two ships. Superboy pulled up in front of the military men with the ship, hopping off as the team landed beside him.

Some of the military began to cheer once they saw the heroes, but a few gasped at the sight of Cameron.

"I'm not Superman." Superboy said as they stepped out of the ship, apparently responding to one of the soldier's comments. Cameron made sure to stand at the back.

"I don't know who you are son." One of the Generals admitted as he stepped forward. "And right now, I don't care. You wear the S, and you got the job done."

"I'm not Superman." He murmured again.

"Tell that to the enemy." The older man smirked, before turning to Aqualad. "General Wade E. Ling. U.S Airforce." He saluted.

"Aqualad. Justice League." Kaldur introduced in kind. "We'll help you salvage as many of the alien's cannons as possible. Then we take back what is ours." He said, his eyes hardening.

()()()()()()()

Cameron glanced around as they entered the Hall of Justice, taking in what must have been immaculate white walls and polished marble flooring. He turned to see the Team looking at the dusty, destroyed remains of the Justice League statues.

"They're really gone." Robin said softly, turning to look at the rubble. Cameron thought back to Canary and Batman, and thought about how much he had changed in such a short time. He normally wasn't a very religious, and often cursed in god's name. But, for this quiet moment, he sent a quick silent prayer to whatever god was up there that he hoped that Artemis, Black Canary, and Batman were all safe and at peace on the other side.

M'gann floated forward and softly sobbed at the statue of her uncle, touching the once golden chin of her family member.

She suddenly flew back, as if startled, and raised her arms, lifting the massive statue off of the pile of rubble to reveal... ... Martian Manhunter?!

Cameron gasped, nearly tripping over his own feet as he stumbled back a few steps in surprise, as M'gann seemed to light up at the sight.

"Uncle J'onn!" She cried, tossing the boulder to the side carelessly as the Martian rubbed his head, seemingly confused by his surroundings.

She flew forward to hug him, but Aqualad darted in front of her, holding up a hand for her to stay back. _M'gann. Check his mind_. He ordered. _Make sure he is whom he appears to be._

_It's him. He's real! He's alive! _She said, her voice bubbling in her excitement and joy.

"But we saw you get disintegrated." Superboy said, narrowing his eyes at the potential threat. "You, and Superman, AND everyone"

Cameron joined him near the front. It this guy ended up being one of the aliens, he was going to make sure he got first dibs.

M'gann moved to help her potentially fake uncle, putting an arm over her shoulder as she helped him stand.

"Yes... .I remember," The Martian said as if recalling a faraway memory, holding his head. "But... .I cannot remember how I survived... or how I arrived here... ." He said, and looked down at his niece.

"Maybe you were density shifting and the beam passed right through you!" M'gann suggested, her eyes glowing with relief and new hope.

"Scrambling your brains along the way!" Robin nodded.

"My mind _is_ clouded... ." He trailed off, placing a green hand against his forehead. "I feel certain I had something very important to tell you... ."

_Hello Wally! _Wally said mentally, slapping himself in the forehead. _Come on!_

Robin turned to look at him, and followed him outside.

Cameron followed, wondering what Wally was off to fuss about this time.

_Take a look at the gun again. _Wally told Robin.

Robin gave him a weird look. _Just do it. _Wally repeated, a huge hopeful smile on his face.

Robin turned and pulled out the holo watch, opening the diagram of the gun he had downloaded off of the alien spacecraft. Cameron watched them as Wally began to read the graphs and complex math equations written on it.

_I KNEW IT! _Wally said, excitedly pointing to the energy points on the diagram. _Look! It's giving off Zeta peans! The same things that power our Zeta Tubes! This thing doesn't disintegrate! It teleports! _He said, excitedly grabbing Robin's arm. _Artemis is Alive!_

_Oh god. _Cameron thought, feeling his heart stop in his chest. _Artemis could be alive. And at the hands of those aliens..._

_Well maybe- _Robin started

_No maybe's! They're all alive! _Wally exclaimed, pointing at the screen.

_Wally, Artemis could be- _Cameron started, but was cut off at the sound of alien ships flying in.

They began to shoot at everyone, forcing the three of them to take cover behind the large military jeep they had just been previously standing on.

_We're on our way! _Kaldur called through the mind link.

_Negative! We can't win this! _Robin called back, putting a finger to his temple as he glanced back at the incoming ships. _Miss Martian, camo the Bioship-_

But it was too late. in a burst of golden light, the ship had disappeared.

There was a cry though the mind link.

_We're falling back! _Robin called, and the group made a break for the doors of the Hall, a few of the soldiers remaining behind to make a final stand.

The General looked around at the doors which were generally password locked. "We're trapped" he said.

Suddenly, the doors opened with a small hiss. "Maybe not." Aqualad responded and quickly ran through the opening, all of them following in pursuit.

They ran into what appeared to have once been a library. "We can all Zeta to the Cave if you can grant us computer clearance to access the tubes." Aqualad explained as several soldiers took up position near the door in case any stragglers made it past the defense.

"I can only authorize one at a time." J'onn responded leaning on M'gann's shoulder.

"Send the soldiers first." Aqualad said.

"Delay that!" The General snapped suddenly, causing them to turn. "You six are assets we cannot afford to lose!" He said, holding up an AK-47. J'onn turned back to look at Aqualad.

Kaldur looked at him and nodded.

J'onn moved to stand in front of the scanner, a green light tracing up and down his form. "Override. Martian Manhunter. Zero seven."

"Recognized." The computer responded, opening up the Zeta Tube Doors. "Access granted."

Miss Martian moved first. "Miss Martian. B zero five."

Robin stepped in next. "Robin. B zero one." He disappeared into the golden light.

"Kid Flash. B zero three." Cameron turned as an explosion went off behind them.

Cameron heard the cry of a soldier as he was pinned under debris. He and Superboy moved to help him. Kaldur turned and threw Kid Flash into the beam, the speedster letting out a cry of surprise before he too was teleported.

Superboy picked up the massive rock and temporarily used it as a shield as Cameron moved and lifted the wounded soldier onto his back, letting him wrap his arms around his neck as he moved back towards the tube.

"He goes next." Superboy said, helping Cameron support him as they moved him to the scanner.

"Fine. Then you next!" Kaldur said, his head twitching back to the firefight.

"Private Jason Barr. USMC." The computer stated.

"Can you make it?" Connor asked the soldier.

He nodded, limping towards the light. "Sure Superman." He said.

"I'm not-" but he had already walked through.

Superboy pushed Cameron forward. "Dude!" He said, even as the scanner moved up and down his form.

"You first." He said.

"Cameron Mahkent. A zero five." Cameron glanced at him one more time before going through the tube.

He walked into the Cave, and turned to see the Soldier leaning up against the console. He walked over and slipped under his arm, and the soldier shivered.

"Gosh you're cold!" He said, as Superboy arrived after him. Cameron laughed, and pulled him over to the side, out of the way from the landing area.

"It's one of my superpowers." He said, and something clicked in the soldier's eyes.

"You're Icicle Junior!" He said, pointing at him in surprise.

"And he's part of the League." Superboy said, walking over.

The Soldier looked in between the two and sighed, taking off his helmet and revealing a brown haired buzz cut. "I guess both sides have to work together to survive huh." He said, looking up in between the two.

Cameron started. Through this entire Invasion mess, not once had his father or his criminal background crossed his mind. _How was he? Was he alright? Was his father even alive? _Cameron grimaced, and looked down. "I guess so." He murmured, and moved over to wait by the others.

"Recognized Martian Manhunter. Zero seven." M'gann moved forward to help her uncle as he fell from the Zeta Tube.

"Aqualad?" Superboy asked, moving over to help.

J'onn shook his head, bowing it.

()()()()()()()

"Our next mission is clear." Robin said. "If we believe the aliens have been transporting their victims."

"We do." Kid Flash confirmed.

"Then the only reasonable detention facility is here." He said, and pulled up a photograph of a large alien pod like structure, formed like a bizarre head of asparagus. "Their mother ship, atop what used to be Smallville. Ring any bells?"

Robin asked, turning to J'onn.

He stood "No... I'm sorry." He said, still blinking slowly.

"Superboy, Cameron, you'll create a distraction."

"No!" M'gann said, stepping in front of Superboy and Cameron, who looked at her in surprise. "He's offering you two up as sacrifices! Aqualad would never do that!" She said, turning a disbelieving gaze on Robin.

"No, you're right. Aqualad would sacrifice himself." Robin said solemnly. "A mistake that just cost us our leader." He said, and narrowed his eyes at her. "Superboy and Cameron are the most likely to be perceived as a threat, motivating the aliens to deploy."

"Worst case, they're just teleported inside." Kid Flash tried to reassure. "and we set him free along with Artemis, _and_ Aqualad and everyone."

Superboy turned to M'gann and gave her a meaningful look, obviously trying to comfort her mentally.

Cameron still couldn't help but get the feeling he was the only one still getting the bad vibes about the situation.

()()()()()()()

Robin stood on the small outcropping lining the base of the alien mothership, looking out through his binoculars.

Cameron took deep breaths, preparing himself for the final battle.

"First Team, Deploy!" Robin ordered.

M'gann and J'onn lifted into the air, and held each other's hands as they became invisible. They flew into the ship unnoticed. _Ready, in position._

_Alright, climb onto my back_. Superboy said, and crouched in front of Cameron.

_What? _Cam asked, raising an eyebrow as he stared at him.

_Well, I'd hate to see you trying to climb at thing_. Superboy smirked.

_You do have a point. _Cameron sniggered, and climbed onto Superboy's back, pinching his knees into Connor's sides for a better grip.

They lifted into the air like a rocket, and Cameron gasped. _This would be freaking awesome if this weren't so __**terrifying**__! _Cameron yelled at Superboy who just laughed out loud.

They crashed onto the ship, nearly knocking Cameron from his back.

Cameron stumbled off, letting the ice armor form over himself as Superboy ran and nearly tore a gun out of it's socket, some of the wires continuing their weak hold against Superboy's muscular grip.

_Be careful! Don't disconnect the power source! _Robin warned.

Superboy turned to the other sentinel guns. "Alright you glorified trespassers!" He yelled. "You wanna see how a real alien fights?!"

He fired the gun, and destroyed one of the other guns. "Yeah! And humans aren't very weak at all!" Cameron shouted, freezing another gun as it prepared to fire and causing it to explode.

They turned, and their eyes widened to see several of their attacking ships deploying from the side. _Now or never! _Superboy called, the signal for Robin and Kid Flash to sneak in.

_The way is clear! Go! _Robin said, and they continued inside. Cameron began to freeze the ships above, running from side to side as the ships fired at him and Superboy.

One of the ships managed a lucky shot and knocked Superboy away from the gun.

"Connor!" Cameron yelled, and just as Superboy rolled back up, he was shot in the back, and vanished. "No!" He yelled, and whirled around angrily and froze another ship above, causing it to crash.

He turned and ran towards the side entrance, determined to make them pay for this.

_No! He's Gone! _M'gann said through the mind link, her voice in shock.

_It's alright. We'll find him with Artemis. I know it. _Wally comforted.

_Wally, even if she is alive, she'd have been in these Alien's hands for days. She won't be the same. _Cameron said, dodging enemy fire, and finally making it down to the entrance.

_No. My mind is much clearer now. _J'onn interrupted, sounding much more in control now. _The disintegration beam is exactly that. No detention facility, no prisoners to rescue, our mission holds no purpose._

_No! You're wrong! _Wally yelled back. _The Zeta radiation proves she's alive! She's-_

_Stop it KF! _Robin interrupted. _I've been scanning for League and Team signals since we got inside. They're __**not **__here. Artemis is gone._

Cameron took shelter behind a nearby pillar, and ignored the lone tear that escaped his eye.

_But our mission still holds purpose_. Robin continued. _To destroy this mothership._

There was a moment of silence.

_I'll be right behind you_. Cameron said, and walked around the corner, joining them.

()()()()()()()

They darted into a large room, taking cover behind some machinery. Robin checked his watch. _This is the power core. Blow this and the whole mothership blows._

_**With pleasure**_. Cameron snarled, darting towards the machine.

As they hopped onto a platform, they were suddenly being dragged towards it, it's gravitational force pulling them in.

Kid made a grab for Robin, only to be pulled in himself. Cameron grabbed his ankle, but slipped on the smooth metal, being dragged along with them. Robin shot out a grappling line, allowing themselves to dangle over the core. An alien turned and spotted them, only to be quickly destroyed by M'gann and J'onn.

M'gann used her telekinetic powers to grab the grappling line and carefully lower the three of them onto the core. Robin took off the belt holding the grenades, and put on the timer on his watch. Cameron turned to keep watch for any stragglers.

_You knew. _Wally said to Robin, causing Cameron to turn to him. _You knew from the beginning why we were here._

Robin turned, the timer beginning to tick. _Four minutes. Let's go_.

They clambered out of the power core, darting through the halls towards the exit. But as soon as Kid Flash zipped towards the landing doors, they slid shut with a condemning hiss.

_Perfect. _He cursed, and turned at the clicking sound of the metal aliens coming over to surround them. Cameron leapt into action, freezing several of them in place and shoving ice spikes into another.

He dove behind a nearby pillar as they began to fire at them.

_16 seconds and counting. _Robin said. _Manhunter, take Miss Martian and go._

_No! We won't leave you_! M'gann argued.

_That's an order! We'll follow as soon as we blow those doors! _Robin explained. M'gann looked reluctant, but took her Uncle's hand and was being pulled towards the door.

Cameron glanced over at Robin who was solemn. Kid Flash nodded. They knew they were going to die.

Cameron closed his eyes. _I'm coming Arty._

He turned with a battle cry and darted towards the fray.

()()()()()()()

Cameron blinked, and saw Black Canary leaning over him. He blinked. "What...?" He asked softly.

"Can you sit up?" She asked, and he blinked. He looked around, they were in the Cave, and Arty was on the table next to him having Red Tornado help her sit up.

"ARTY!" He yelled, and rolled off the table, nearly collapsing when his legs swayed under him. He stumbled over to her and wrapped his arms around her frame. She started, her chin digging into his shoulder. "Cam….?" She asked, putting a hand on his back.

"Arty... ." He breathed, and let the tears of relief fall down his face as he felt her heart beating strong as he hugged her, his arms nearly crushing her to him.

He didn't even care when he heard M'gann's gasp and surprised cry of relief. "You're all alive!"

"What happened in there?" Batman asked gruffly.

"The exercise, all went wrong... ." J'onn said, rubbing his green temple.

"The exercise?" Robin asked in confusion, sweat dripping down his face.

"Try to remember." Batman said softly. "What you experienced was a training exercise. Manhunter psychically linked the seven of you in an artificial reality. You all knew this going in. What you didn't know was that this was a train for failure exercise. No matter what the team accomplished, the scenario was designed to grow worse." Batman explained. "Still, you were _aware nothing was real_, including the deaths of the entire Justice League."

"That is why you hardly grieved, even when Wolf was disintegrated before your eyes." J'onn took over. "But all that changed, when Artemis died."

Artemis finally relaxed in Cameron's grip, and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him back. Now she understood why he was so distressed.

"Thought consciously Miss Martian knew it wasn't real, her subconscious mind could not make that distinction. She forgot it was only an exercise. Her subconscious took control, making all of you forget too."

"I-I'm so sorry... " M'gann said, looking around at them. Cameron leaned back and rubbed the tears away from his eyes. He sat down next to Artemis, but still kept his arms around her like she was about to disappear.

"This isn't her fault!" Superboy argued. "Why didn't you stop the exercise?"

"We tried." J'onn said. "But M'gann had a ... .death grip on the scenaro. Even Artemis, who should have awakened upon her death was so convinced she had passed she slipped into a coma."

Cameron shuddered, and Artemis put her hand on his arm, reassuring him he was okay.

"I realized I would have to wrest control from Miss Martian's subconscious from within. But upon entering the reality, I was overwhelmed by your collective emotion. There was too much... .noise to think clearly, to remember why I was there."

Cameron swallowed, and everyone was bowing their heads. "The deaths of Aqualad and Superboy helped, but only when the Mothership exploded and Robin, Kid Flash and Icicle Junior were silenced did my mind clear enough to remember my true purpose. To shock M'gann out of the exercise, before your comas became permanent."

Cameron felt a shiver run up his spine, and Artemis shivered. "My apologies. I had no idea a training exercise could be so _dangerous_, so **damaging**."

Captain Marvel moved over to comfort M'gann as J'onn turned and nearly collapsed to the floor. "As bad as all that?" Batman asked quietly.

"Perhaps worse." J'onn whispered back solemnly.

"Yet this is not what troubles you." Red Tornado responded, having rushed over when J'onn nearly fell.

"Make no mistake." He said, as Batman helped him back up to his feet. "My niece is untrained and cannot be held responsible for this... for our debacle."

"No one blames her." Batman said. "But clearly everyone underestimated her abilities."

"You understate it." J'onn said, turning back to his niece who had begun to sob into Captain Marvel's chest. "In terms of power, she has the strongest mind I have ever encountered. Stronger by far than mine."

Cameron held onto Artemis for a long time after that, and made a solemn promise. _I swear on my own heart, that I will protect Artemis with my own life. __**I swear it**__. _

()()()()()()()

Hey y'all! sorry it's taken so long to update. My Dad put on the movie grey(massively distracting) and my Mac has recently been having trouble with my text editing program. :c

Anywho, I'm all finished, so read, and review! Please and thank you!


	10. Disordered

Alright guys, next chapter update! WOOT! I'm sorry it took so long, I was having trouble with my laptop since it was being wonky and was having trouble with the writing app it had. So, I transferred it to my email and opened it on my mother's computer, and it's working fine again! So, here it is!

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice nor am I making a profit out of this. The only profit I make out of it is the support of my fans!

()()()()()()()

Cameron sat on the couch behind Artemis, staring despondently at his hands, his eyes tracing the lines of his palms.

_I've done a lot of things with these hands. _He thought, examining the lines where callouses had formed from working years with his father's more technological projects. He had a small scar on one of his fingers from one of his first fights against a hero, the thin line having stretched and warped with his growth. His fingers were long, and he folded them lightly into a fist. His nails were trimmed from working with machinery, and he found a familiar scar from when he had nearly broken a knuckle, having punched a metal wall after getting into a fight with his father. His left hand was ever so minutely larger than the other, having been broken by a superhero in one of his younger days, the hand still worked obviously, but if you knew what you were looking for you could feel some of the scarred tissue beneath it.

_I've only ever destroyed things with them. I couldn't save her with these hands. _He thought. He sighed and dropped them, before reaching up to rub his brow. _I don't know if I'm cut out for this._

He looked up as he heard a door slam, and watched as Superboy stormed out past the group, a dark expression on his face as he walked towards the ground vehicle bay. Oh, he knew that look. He'd seen that look enough times on his father's face to know to steer clear of it if he wanted his face intact.

Especially since Superboy had just come out of what was supposed to be their therapist's office. _Oh yeah, I'm really not looking forward to this_.

Cameron turned to see Black Canary walk in, turning to Artemis. "Artemis. You're next."

()()()()()()()

"Look, me dying during the exercise might've started things going south, but I was coma girl. Missed out on all the fun, I'm getting it wasn't real. So, no trauma. No need for the Shrink rap." Artemis said, leaning back in the chair.

"You're too tough to need help." Black Canary said.

"Whatever. Maybe." She said, looking off to the side as she tucked her knees in front of her, the heels of her boots digging into the green furniture covering.

"Or maybe too tough to admit you need help." Black Canary theorized, leaning forward to prop her elbows on her knees. "Artemis, it's not a sign of weakness to open up to your friends." She said, watching as the young archer grasped at her jacket sleeve subtly.

"I know that." Artemis grumbled, narrowing her eyes at the older blonde.

"But you still keep secrets from them." She said, her eyes sad.

"You won't tell them! You can't!" Artemis blurted, gripping the arms of her chair her eyes wide with fear.

"I won't." Black Canary reassured, Artemis relaxing slightly. "But you should. You could start by admitting you're not really Green Arrow's niece."

Artemis scoffed. "Right. Can you imagine what Wally would do with that?" She asked, letting her feet drop back to the floor with a tiny click of her heels.

"Interesting. So, the person you're most worried about is Wally." Black Canary said.

Artemis looked up, her expression taught with confusion and worry. "Wally hates Cameron enough. I don't want to have that look spotlighted on me... ." She said, and lowered her eyes.

()()()()()()()

Aqualad stared at the floor. "I was the general, and but behaved like a soldier and sacrificed myself. I am not fit for command." He said, closing his eyes wearily. "I must resign from team leader."

"Who do you recommend to take your place?" Black Canary asked, calmly leaning back in her chair.

Aqualad almost looked surprised at her answer, before sighing and returning his gaze to the floor. "Artemis is too raw and untrusting. Kid Flash too rash and impulsive. Miss Martian remains too eager to please. Superboy carries too much anger. Cameron... .he is, unfamiliar with attacks and strategies."

"Making Robin the logical choice." Black Canary nodded with his reasoning.

"But he is so young." Aqualad looked up at her: pained with his decision.

"Kaldur." Black Canary said, and leaned forward. "You're all young."

Aqualad bowed his head, looking like the weight of the world had settled on it. "I cannot shift this burden to him. Not yet."

He heaved a soft sigh. "It appears I must withdraw my resignation... "

()()()()()()()

"So you want me to believe that after everything you've been through, including your own death by a fiery explosion, you're peachy?" Black Canary asked the currently upside down face of Wally on the couch, who was currently tossing pieces of popcorn into his mouth.

"I'm uh, fairly certain I didn't use the word 'peachy.'" He said with a mouthful of popcorn. "But I think you got the gist!"

"So you really have no interest confronting your extreme reaction to Artemis' death?" She asked.

Wally froze and began to choke on the piece of popcorn he had just swallowed. He sat up, hacking and coughing as he tried to clear his throat. He swallowed the piece back down properly. He turned to her, trying to play innocent. "I'd rather talk about you babe." he said, with a flirtatious smile.

Black Canary rested her cheekbone against her knuckles. "Wally. You're in denial."

"I'm comfortable with that." He said, crossing his arms behind his head, using the cast as a hard pillow.

()()()()()()()

Cameron had begun to gnaw on his thumbnail, growing more nervous as time went by.

Black Canary stepped out. "Alright, anyone else going to volunteer?" She asked, as Kid Flash dashed off into the kitchen for another snack.

It was silent, Cameron ducking his head to avoid the question.

Robin sighed and stood. "I'll go next." He said, and walked after her.

Cameron sighed softly, and turned to look at Kid Flash, who was apparently preparing another bowl of popcorn. "Dude. You just ate an entire bowl of that." He said, raising an eyebrow at the teen.

"I have a high metabolism, in case you hadn't noticed." Wally said, and patted his bicep. "These babies aren't here for show, although they do enjoy the attention." He joked, mock fleeing them. Cameron rolled his eyes and propped his cheek in his hand.

"Speaking of shows…" Wally trailed off, wandering over to sit next to him on the couch as the popcorn began to cook. "I realize now that during the simulation, in all of the chaos of the League dying" Cameron swallowed "and everyone dying; you pretty much had a get out of jail free card, although you were already out of prison and were practically free in the first place-"

"What's your point?" Cameron snapped his anxiety peaking slightly.

"My point is" Wally placated "is that you could have run at anytime and gone back to your father. There was virtually nothing holding you to us." Cameron stared. "But you didn't run. You stayed and helped us fight the aliens instead of going around and looting the destroyed homes or whatever else the other villains were doing in the simulation." Wally said and rubbed the back of his neck, oblivious to Cameron's suddenly stiff demeanor."You could have run after Artemis' death, or when we went to the Hall of Justice. Instead, you helped us avenge our teammates deaths, and sacrificed your life, the same as we did."

"So I was considering a truce?" He asked, holding out his cast hand. Cameron blinked in surprise at the hand.

"Truce." He said, hiding the pain in his eyes behind a big fake smile as he carefully shook the speedster's hand.

()()()()()()()

"Hurting? Try traumatized. I finally become leader and wind up sending all of my friends to their deaths." Robin said, staring down at his hands in his lap. "I-I know that I did what I had to, but I hated it. When we started this team, I was desperate to be in charge… Not anymore."

He bowed his head. "And that's not even the worst of it…" He said, and glanced up at Canary. "You can't tell Batman."

"Nothing leaves this room." She consented, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"I always wanted, _expected_, to grow up and become him. And the hero bit? I'm still all in! But that thing? Inside of him? The thing that drives him to sacrifice everything for the sake of his mission, that's not me…. I-I don't want to be THE

Batman anymore." Robin confided, closing his eyes behind his glasses.

()()()()()()()

"It was all my fault. Hello Megan." She said with a halfhearted slap to her forehead, her voice drained of its normal cheeriness. "Who else could take a simple exercise and turn it into a nightmare that terrorizes everyone you care about?" She asked, and closed her eyes, as her skin became the warm peachy color of human flesh.

"You... turned white." Black Canary said, surprised at the sudden change.

M'gann gasped, horrified and stood up, eyes raking over her hands. "No!" She yelled in a panic. She stared at her hands, seeing the formerly green appendages now pale with a warm pink tinge. "Oh." She breathed, relaxing. "You meant Caucasian. Yeah, I'm fine being Megan." She said, slowly sitting back down. "But I can't be trusted to use my other powers.

"M'gann, you're Martian. You not using your natural abilities is like me refusing to speak. Which, by the way I tried for a while after my first Canary Cry nearly deafened my entire first grade class." Black Canary said as M'gann looked up. "So, I get what you feel. But not being yourself is never the answer, and it won't make your feelings of guilt go away. Learn from what happened. Your uncle would be happy to train you." M'gann sat up straighter, her eyes beginning to shine with new hope.

"Practice, until you gain control and regain your confidence." Black Canary said, as they sat quietly across from each other.

()()()()()()()

Superboy came back to base looking particularly haggard, but seemed in a better mood.

"Hey," Cam greeted, as he flopped onto the sofa next to him. "So, you blow off some steam?"

Superboy let out a soft chuckle. "You could say that." He glanced over at Cameron. "How're you holding up?"

Cameron shrugged noncommittally, turning to glance over in the kitchen, even though nothing was there.

Black Canary walked back in, and gazed over at the two. "I see you've returned." She greeted, offering a gentle smile towards Superboy.

Superboy turned to look at Cameron uncertainly. "You can go first. I can afford to wait." Cam said with a forced smile.

Superboy gave him one last glance before going to join Black Canary.

Cameron sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He was putting her off and he knew it; but he didn't know what else to do. _Bottle it up with the rest of my problems. _He thought. _Just like I always do…._

()()()()()()()

"Here's the ugly truth." Superboy began, his elbows on his knees. "I wasn't devastated. Even with Superman, Red Tornado, _you_, the whole League dead... Even though I didn't save Wolf. Watched Artemis and Kaldur _die_, and abandoned _M'gann_. I felt…at peace." He said, his voice breaking from guilt. Black Canary's eyes widened.

"You see, from the moment I first opened my eyes in that CADMUS pod, there's been one thing that I've wanted, and feared. To know what it is to **be **Superman. And I know. So, I was…happy." He said, and looked up guiltily at Black Canary.

"Everyone I care about dead and traumatized, and I'm happy." He said bitterly. "How do I get past the guilt of that? How to I live with myself?"

Black Canary was stricken and reached over to place a comforting hand on his knee.

"I…don't have any easy answers Connor. But one thing is clear. Admitting it, is the first step." She said, looking him in the eyes.

()()()()()()()

Cameron stubbornly tried to ignore the angry buzz of his thoughts as he tried to clear it, his insecurities and doubts trying to whisper in his ears in a steady crescendo that had been building up most of the day. _They didn't trust you. Artemis __**died **__because of you! You weren't strong enough, fast enough, __**hero **__enough! Dad would be so disappointed in you. You can't make a difference. You can't change your past! _

He pinched the bridge of his nose, and growled. "Shut up…." He muttered.

"I hope that wasn't meant for me." Cameron started, whirling around to see Black Canary standing behind him, her hands on her hips. "You've been avoiding me." She gently accused, letting her hands drop.

"Yeah." Cameron admitted with a sigh.

"Let's continue in my office." She said, and walked back towards the room. Cameron heaved himself out of his seat and shuffled after her. There was a water curtain on one side of the room, and a few potted plants placed near it.

"Take a seat." Black Canary said, gesturing to the two green armchairs turned so they were facing each other. Cameron sat down heavily in the seat.

"Let's start from the beginning." She said. "At Artemis' death."

Cameron looked off to the side. "She was my best friend. I freaked out obviously." He said, though his heart still gave a hollow pang at the memory.

"And after that, you went to save the rest of the country." Canary prompted.

Cameron pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can we please talk about something else?"

Black Canary leaned back. "Cameron, if you want to get over this you _have_ to confront it first."

"Maybe I don't want to confront it? Isn't that an option?" He asked, giving her a dirty look.

"Did something happen then?" She asked, her eyes concerned.

"Don't give me that look." He snapped, his lip curling.

"What look?" She asked, honestly confused.

"That 'I feel so sorry for him' look. It makes me sick." He spat. _Lies. It's all lies. It has to be. Nothing makes __**sense **__anymore_.

"Cameron-"

"Stop calling me that!" He said, standing up. "I'm Icicle Junior! That's all I am, AND THAT'S ALL I'll ever be!" He yelled, frost starting to form over his fists. "You don't _want _me on your team! I'm just the poor kid with a bloody nose who can't defend himself from the playground BULLIES!" He began to pace angrily. "I can't walk down the street without people screaming about me robbing stores or-or attacking babies or whatever the hell else I've done-!"

"Cameron!" Black Canary stood up, grabbing him by the arms, knocking some of the frost from his hands. Suddenly Cameron realized his vision was blurry from tears.

"Just….._God_." He rasped, collapsing back into the green chair, angrily wiping at the tears that escaped. Black Canary knelt down with him, shifting to move her hands to his shoulders.

"Arty was dead." He said, his voice cracking as he forced himself to talk past the large lump in his throat. "She was gone and I was only a few feet away from her. I couldn't even _save _her. And then, with that _fucking _soldier…." He stopped, and took a few deep breaths to try and get rid of the lump.

"He thought I was still a **villain**. said 'I guess both sides have to work to survive huh?'" Cameron shook his head and wiped his face free of tears. "I mean, what am I supposed to say to that? 'Don't worry, I'm a good guy. I'll try not to break your neck in your sleep homie!'" He scoffed.

Canary was silent, rubbing her thumbs against his shoulders in a comforting motion as he tried to calm his breathing. "Did you know Wally thought I was going to take off once the League was dead?" He laughed bitterly. "Like I was going to go raid the dead bodies while the team tried to save the world? He thought I was going to run back to Daddy because I was done playing with the League!" He felt bitter tears trickle down his cheeks. He took a breath.

"I'm not cut out to be a hero. I can't change my past and I can't save people. I couldn't even save my best friend." He said, bowing his head.

Canary gave him a moment to catch his breath and calm down before letting out a soft sigh. "Cameron, no one said being a hero has ever been easy." She said. "And we all have our own past mistakes we'd rather not remember."

Cameron looked up at her. "It's going to take time for people to get used to the idea of having you part of the league, but it's not the past, but the present and future that counts." She said.

Cameron stared at her, before nodding quietly.

()()()()()()()

INTENSE! Alright, I really had to work and struggle around this one. I wasn't sure how Cameron would take it at first, and I wasn't sure if Cameron would tag along with Superboy or stick around with the others.

Needless to say, I had him stick with the others. Can't have Artemis get into any trouble now can we?

The story is chugging along just great and I can't wait to finish up the next chapter for all of you!

Love you all!


	11. Secrets

()()()()()()()

It was just Cameron's luck to walk into the Zeta Tube room just as Wally had let out his 'baying werewolf howl' dressed head to toe like the character from Teen Wolf. Wolf the genetically mutated canine however, chose to continue to snooze on the floor, paying no attention to the dressed up teen.

Wally stared at Wolf. "Really? You're not going to join in at all? What kind of Wolf are you?"

"Wally stop torturing him." Superboy said, before M'gann began to wrap his head in a stained cloth.

"Hold still please." She laughed, continuing to wrap him up like a mummy.

"Megan stop torturing him." Wally mocked Superboy, gesturing to the now bandaged figure with his cast arm. "Awkward enough for him anyway being the third wheel on our date….." He trailed off, propping an elbow on her shoulder.

Cameron scoffed. It was now October, and they were preparing to go to Happy Harbor's Halloween dance. Not to mention Wally was still completely out of the loop about M'gann's and Superboy's relationship.

"Wally, I invited the entire team to the dance. Zatanna too." M'gann reminded.

"Good. Keeps us on the down low." KF nodded in his own version of a husky voice.

M'gann smiled and Superboy gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

"So, you goin' as my favorite Martian?" Wally asked.

"Not exactly." She smiled mysteriously as she backed up a few steps. She raised her arms up, her skin turning a ghastly white. Her clothes morphed and stretched, turning into a tattered white bridal gown. Her eyes were shadowed as she snarled dramatically, her hair band turning into an old and dusty wedding veil.

"Woah…Babe, eat my brains any time." Wally said.

"Great minds think alike!" Captain Marvel said, stepping out of the Zeta Tube.

"Captain!" M'gann greeted. "You look terrific!"

Cameron slapped a hand across his mouth, his body having an all out war against itself trying not to laugh.

Captain Marvel was standing there in his usual uniform, with only his face covered with a half-assed attempt at what M'gann was wearing. He grinned proudly at his look.

"Are you going to a Halloween celebration too?" M'gann asked innocently. Captain Marvel face faulted for a second.

"Well, sure I'm gong with….I mean…you did invite the **whole** team right?" He asked, looking around in innocent confusion.

"Yeah! We'll all be at the dance! So don't worry about us. Go, have fun at your party." M'gann said cheerily, missing what the older hero was getting at in its entirety.

"Recognized. Artemis. B07." The computer said, announcing the archer's arrival. "Zatanna, Zatara. A03." The computer said, as Zatara's daughter stepped out of the light.

"Oh, hey Zatanna." Artemis said, smiling at the magician as she stepped out onto the platform. She was dressed as a dramatic punk vampire, the dramatic red collar emphasizing her blonde hair and tanned skin. "You look great."

Zatanna was dressed as a witch, her tattered red dress cut short and wearing thigh high black boots to match the pointed hat. "Oh thanks! You too!" She turned and smiled, both of them stopping in front of Captain Marvel. "Oh, look at that. Zombie Captain Marvel, that's hilarious." She said, smiling widely at the older hero. "Is the Justice League having a party cause my Dad didn't mention it…?"

"No. No, no, no, see I-" Captain Marvel scratched his head like a dog with an anxious tick. "Fine. I'm going trick or treating." He said defiantly, and flew away into the Zeta Tube. He turned around. "And I'm not sharing my candy!"

He vanished.

Cameron finally burst into laughter, holding his sides as he shook with the giggles. Artemis looked over at him. "What's so funny?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the behavior.

He wiped a stray tear from his eye as the last of the chuckles finally died off. "We have the most juvenile mentor EVER." He chuckled.

M'gann giggled, resuming wrapping up Superboy in the tattered fabric. Zatanna raised a sly eyebrow. "So, how long have Connor and M'gann been a couple?" She asked, glancing sideways at the two aliens.

Artemis laughed. "Couple? No, they're not a…" She trailed off, turning back to look at the two.

"Would you please stop fidgeting?" M'gann laughed, grinning at the Kryptonian.

"You are so making this up to me later." Superboy whispered back, grinning back.

Cameron looked back at Artemis, whose eyes had widened in surprise at the scene, before she turned and began to stalk off towards the portal.

_Ooh, that must've been a slap to the face. _Cameron winced and jogged after her, Zatanna getting there before him.

"I-I'm sorry, it just seemed so obvious…" Zatanna apologized. "I didn't realize- wait! The dance!"

"Not in the mood." She muttered, crossing her arms. "'Course, sitting at home with my mom doesn't exactly sound more appealing…"

"If it makes you feel better, I can't exactly go to the dance either." Cameron said, joining them.

"Why not?" Zatanna asked.

"Um, Icicle Junior? Face plastered on newspapers and television sets?" He said. "Ring any bells?"

"Oh, yeah…" Zatanna said, her cheeks blushing at the second mistake she had made in a row. "Well, there is another option." She offered, smiling at both of them.

"Go on" Cameron said, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

Zatanna raised her hands. "Egnahc sehtolc otni ruo smrofinu!" Suddenly, the three of them were engulfed in clouds of smoke, and Cameron looked down to see that he was now in his black tank top and leggings, and Artemis and Zatanna were now in their respective uniforms.

"Anti- Dance night." Zatanna said, placing her hands on her hips.

Artemis smirked.

()()()()()()()

"Computer. Secure the room." Batman ordered, as Aqualad, Robin, Red Arrow, and Red Tornado stood in the conference room.

"Secured." The robotic woman's voice stated.

"Alright, I'll cut to it. Do we believe there is a mole within the Team?" Batman asked, glancing between the young heroes.

"I am convinced there is none." Aqualad said, stepping forward. "When Sportsmaster claimed he had an inside source, he was merely sowing dissent."

"His Intel could easily have come by comparing notes with the other villains working for the InJustice League." Robin added. "And think about it," he added, folding his arms behind his head. "If anyone on the team was working with those creepoids,"

"They would have betrayed us during our fight against them." Aqualad finished, turning back to Batman.

"I'm not convinced." Roy said in a harsh tone. "Sure you two and Kid Flash are above suspicion, but I **know** Artemis isn't shooting straight. For starters she's not Green Arrow's niece." He said narrowing his eyes.

"What?" Aqualad asked with a start.

"Well yeah, in fact she's related to-" Robin felt Batman's hand descend on his shoulder.

"Enough." The Dark Knight said in a deep tone. "Artemis' relations may indeed make her suspect, but she is still entitled to a secret identity." He said, turning back to Roy. "I'm more concerned about Superboy. We still know very little about what CADMUS programmed into their weapon. Connor could be the mole and not know it."

Red Tornado glanced off to the side thoughtfully.

"And what about Miss Martian?" Red Arrow asked skeptically. "She _is_ Manhunter's niece. But he told Black Canary he has a few **hundred** nieces and nephews, and the first time he met M'gann was five months ago, when she stowed away on his last trip from Mars to Earth." He said.

"Not to mention Icicle Junior. The League must be really asking for it if they're inviting villains into fold." He added a tad nastily.

"This changes nothing." Aqualad said with a tone of finality. "I have fought side by side with these people." He said, crossing his tattooed arms. "Cameron was added after Sportsmaster tipped me off, and he has fought side by side with all of us. There are no traitors."

()()()()()()()

They came out of the Zeta Tube, the doors sliding open to reveal the empty city street before them. Cameron let out a howl as they rocketed down the street on their motorcycles, his arms wrapped around Artemis' middle.

They rode wildly around Manhattan, and Cameron rested his chin on Artemis' shoulder. "Hey! Can I drive at some point?!" He yelled over the whistling wind.

"Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?" Artemis yelled back, as they turned around a corner.

"…No….." He said a little more quietly.

"Well there's your answer!" She yelled, and pushed on the gas, making him yelp as they sped through the empty streets.

They finally slowed down as they pulled up in front of a museum, police cars and a few ambulances still hanging around.

"Whatever happened here is over." She grouched, her tone dripping with disappointment. "I want some **Action**."

"But maybe you _need_ to talk." Zatanna said gently, her voice muffled due to the helmet. "About Connor and Megan, or whatever."

Artemis took off once more, Zatanna quickly following the pair. "What I _need_ is something to beat up." She said, and Cameron carefully swiveled his head to her blonde ponytail wouldn't whip him in the face.

"Sure, a good smack down is just what one needs when life gets lame." He added, smiling.

"Shut up Cam!" She shouted, not in the mood for his can do attitude.

"Will do!" He answered, ducking his head back.

They spotted a couple about to be mugged by a man holding a pistol at their heads. Zatanna began to chant. "Taeh taht s'nopaew latem!" Cameron watched in fascination as the man dropped the weapon, the pistol glowing a bright red.

"Take control!" Artemis called back, and Cameron moved to grab the handles as Artemis let loose several arrows, pinning the man into a nearby brick wall by his hoodie as they blew past.

"Good shot!" Cameron laughed, but Artemis wasn't done yet. Just up ahead a few blocks away, two robbers had just darted out of a small food market, and were wearing black ski masks. Artemis shot arrows at the thieves, knocking them to the ground. She took control of the motorcycle again as Cameron reached out and froze their hands and legs to the pavement.

They darted through the city streets, no one but themselves out at this hour. They stopped in front of the park, and Cameron got off. "Lots of criminals like the park." Artemis explained, taking off her helmet. "Don't know why though. Maybe they're tree huggers at heart." She shrugged. They were all still for a moment, before they both snorted in laughter, Zatanna joining in.

"Come on, let's go." Artemis laughed, and they jogged into the park. They had just arrived in time to hear a young woman's scream, and darted towards the noise.

"Etativel reh!" Zatanna cried. The woman gasped, lifting up and into the air above her attackers heads and floated towards Zatanna. Artemis and Cameron darted towards the thugs, both issuing their battle cries. Artemis twisted, punched and flipped through her enemies effortlessly, and Cameron kicked and froze them to the ground.

Artemis turned and grinned at Cameron, and they clapped a high five. After checking the woman was okay, while Cameron surreptitiously turned around to "see if there were anymore stragglers", they made their way out of the park and back to the bikes.

"There were easier ways to take them." Zatanna commented uncertainly as they made their way back to the cycles.

"They had it coming." Artemis said, and turned to Cameron. "No offence." She added quickly.

"None taken." Cameron said, shrugging off the unintentional insult. "No harm done."

It was only the split second hissing sound that warned Cameron before he threw himself over Artemis, shielding her from the explosion as their Bikes erupted into smoke and flame. They tumbled away from the sight, Cameron landing with a smack of his head onto the pavement, Artemis landing on top of him. They sat up in shock and surprise to see a figure making his way through the burning wreckage.

"Though indeed, Harm is not done." He said, stepping into the light. He had long brown hair that reached down to his lower back, and long jagged scars over his right eye that looked like a lion had taken a swipe at him. He was shirtless save for the pale khaki colored trench coat and belt slung around his torso which had a glowing, swirling pattern over his heart. He wore black pants and boots, and was holding what looked like a mangled clawed arm in one hand and a glowing golden sword in the other. "Much Harm, left to do." He smirked.

"The its cannot escape Harm." He said, as he slowly made his way towards the downed heroes.

Artemis rolled up into a crouch, already knocking back an arrow. "Escaping isn't on the menu." She retorted, and shot two arrows at the villain.

"Arrows do not impress." He said as he effortlessly cut the arrows in two, mid air.

"Fine. Taeh taht s'nopaew latem." Zatanna said, and Cameron watched in surprise as the weapon turned a molten red under the teen's grip, but did not drop it.

"Neither does its magic." He said, sounding unimpressed. "You must do better. Or suffer Harm." He smirked.

"We get it! Your name is Harm!" Artemis snarked back in irritation, aiming for the teen's head instead.

Cameron got back to his feet, shaking it free of the stunned cobwebs. _Jeez, who did this guy think he is? What kind of lame ass guy refers to himself in the third person?_

"Their ridiculous garb and rudimentary skills indicate instruction from Green Arrow and Zatara." He narrowed his eyes at Cameron. "And a villain has joined their quest." He said, his eyes taking on a strange analytical gleam.

Cameron swallowed, but stood his ground.

"No matter." He said, and returned his gaze to the other two heroes. "Harm will study them to learn methods for killing their mentors." He stated, and raised the blade pointing it at them.

"Oh, you did not just threaten my Dad!" Zatanna said, her powder blue eyes narrowing dangerously. Cameron let the ice armor form over his skin, preparing for the oncoming fight. "Etativel drows ot em!"

The sword began to wiggle and twitch in Harm's hand. "It wants Harm's sword?" He smirked. "Very well." He pulled his arm back like a professional baseball pitcher, and threw the sword at Zatanna, the blade aimed for her face.

Zatanna dodged to the side, the sword sinking into the brick building behind her.

"Big mistake Harmster!" Artemis yelled, shooting explosive arrows at the teen as Cameron turned and froze the sword to the building.

He leapt up into the air, snatching them in his hands before throwing them back at Artemis, who was tackled out of the way of the counter attack by Zatanna. "Arty!" Cameron yelled, darting through the smoke. Zatanna and Artemis turned.

"On second thought, running." She said.

"Okay! Yeah, to regroup!" Artemis said, darting towards a nearby alleyway. Cameron ran after her, Zatanna creating a distraction.

"Erif nrub, nordlauc elbbub!" The fire around Harm's feet erupted into a hall of flame, rising in a circle around him before exploding.

"Nice!" Artemis said.

"Something I've been practicing since Red-"

"Wait! Who's that?!" Artemis asked, looking up to see a little girl wearing a white poncho, waving at them from around a corner before ducking behind it.

"Do you care right now?" Zatanna asked.

"No." Artemis said, and they hurried around it, taking cover in the shadows.

"Dead end! Where'd she go?" Artemis snapped, and they turned as the rattle of metal. The little girl was at the top of the building, waving at the top of a fire escape. The ladder at the bottom descended for them to climb.

"Damn she's fast!" Cameron said stepping back slightly, craning his neck to get a better look at her.

"I like her already." Zatanna said, and smirked at Artemis. They rapidly climbed the steps, Cameron icing a few of them so Harm would slip if he tried.

They reached the top, huffing and puffing slightly as the little girl stood before them. Cameron paused, getting a better look at her. There was something odd about her, and it wasn't just the white clothing she wore. Her hair was a pale blonde, almost the color of dusty oaken wood, before it was stained. She was pale, and her skin almost seemed tinged with dust in the moonlight. Her blue eyes were reflective and almost translucent like water from a lake.

"Thanks for the assist, but who are you?" Zatanna asked, walking over to the young girl.

"Secret." She said solemnly.

"That won't cut it." Artemis shook her head. "Do you know Harm? Does he have any weaknesses?" She asked rapidly.

"Secret." She said, putting more emphasis on the word, and pointed behind them. Cameron stiffened, thinking she was pointing at him, before Zatanna turned around and gasped. Cameron turned to see that Harm had just leapt onto the edge of the building, and was swinging his sword around lazily.

"At least they make the hunt interesting." He purred, and began to stalk towards them.

"He's fast, I'll give him that." Artemis said bitterly before shooting a whole into the side of the water tank next to them. Water came pouring out. Cameron began to freeze the liquid over Harm, trapping him inside a large frozen dome.

"Whew." Cameron breathed, trying to catch his breath. But he stiffened as he saw the sword within the frozen structure begin to glow. "Aw shit." He cursed, Harm shattering the prison and a stray beam of light from his escape struck the water tower, causing a minor explosion.

Artemis yelped and ran towards the edge of the building. "Where's little miss Secret go?" She asked.

"There!" Zatanna pointed, a little white figure standing on a building several blocks over. She glanced down at her boots. "Okay, these boots? Adorable. But for a chase sequence?"

Cameron leapt over the side of the building with a yell. "Lacitcarp raewtoof won!" Zatanna chanted, her heels disappearing in a puff of smoke as Cameron made a miniature slide of ice for them to land on the rooftop safely.

An arc of lightning forced them to stop and face their pursuer before they could reach the other side of the building. Artemis lifted her bow, and yelped when Harm threw a sharp dagger, the blade nicking her mask as it sliced through the bow string.

"Hold him off while I restring!" She ordered, and just as Zatanna turned to attack, Harm kicked her out of the way. Cameron darted forward to grapple with the teen, only managing to punch thin air before he slipped around his guard and hit him in the head with the pommel of his sword, dangerously close to his temple. Cameron fell with a yelp, grasping his head. He could feel a trickle of blood down his temple, growled, getting onto all fours as Artemis whipped out her crossbow.

"Wanna play without the toys?" She challenged, setting her jaw as the crossbow was aimed between Harm's eyes.

"It tries to bait Harm." He smiled, relaxing slightly to lean back and grab the mangled arm strapped across his back. "Leave Harm weak." He sheathed the blade inside it, the hand twitching slightly as if to grasp it. Cameron shuddered.

"But Harm as no weakness." He smirked, dropping the blade to the ground. He stripped off his jacket.

Artemis smirked, putting away the crossbow. She immediately leapt into battle, kicking and striking at her opponent, only to have him dodge and strike with ease. Cameron glanced over to see Zatanna trying to pull the sword out of its sheath, grunting and heaving. He rushed over, grabbing the bottom half of the hilt, helping her try to pull it out of the grotesque hand..

"So _unfocused_." Harm commented, sidestepping Artemis' kick. "It struggles with inner demons and can't fight harm without fighting itself. Harm doesn't battle his demons." He blocked one of her punches. "Harm _**embraces**_ them."

Cameron stiffened. "Would Harm please **shut up**!" Artemis snapped.

Zatanna cried out, being electrocuted by the sheath and fell. "Zatanna! Cameron!" Artemis yelled. Artemis gave a yell as Harm suddenly smacked her across the face, knocking down next to the magician and meta human.

"And it cares about others, another weakness." Harm added condescendingly, reaching down to slip his coat back on. "The sword rejected their impure heart. They have not made the same sacrifices Harm has to become pure."

Zatanna gasped, looking over. "Look! It's secret!" She whispered. Cameron turned. Sure enough, the little girl was waving to them on the next building. "She hasn't led us wrong so far…" She said, and Artemis pulled out an arrow. She smacked it against her palm and threw it at Harm, smoke billowing around him.

They made a run for it, Cameron pulling Artemis to her feet before they leapt onto the next building. They leapt down across several buildings, coming down into a more residential area of the city. "Ugh! She's gone again! Now what?" Zatanna said, looking around wildly for the younger blonde. "End of the line, and we can't go back the way we came, he's coming!"

"We'll zip line down to that magic store." Artemis said, pulling out her crossbow.

Cameron heard a hiss behind them. "Look out!" He yelled, pushing them out of the way. The ground exploded in front of him, knocking him away from the edge of the building.

"Cam!" Artemis yelped, rushing over to him. He grunted, a trickle of blood making its way down his temple as he forced himself to sit up. Some of his ice armor had crumbled away, and he placed a hand to his head, trying to reform the armor.

Harm leapt onto the roof, turning to glare at the heroes as they helped Cameron back to his feet. "This can be no coincidence." He growled, his coat fluttering behind him in the night breeze. "They are right on Harm's very roof! How did they know?! Tell Harm! NOW!" He shouted, his green eyes glazing in a monstrous fury.

"Wait! This is your place?" Artemis asked, backing up and pulling out her crossbow.

"No more games!" He snarled, and stabbed the roof with his sword. The ground crackled with energy, and Cameron couldn't even scream. His body was convulsing violently of its own volition in mid air. Everything went black.

()()()()()()()

Cameron groaned, his vision blurry. There was a groan behind him. He turned, blinking and came face to face with a curtain of ebony black hair. He and Zatanna were tied to chairs back to back with rope, and were placed in front of what appeared to be Artemis' crossbow, an explosive arrow aimed at them.

"Oh boy." He muttered, and heard Zatanna muttering something. "What?" He asked, turning his head.

"Mosri oc othools." She repeated, her voice muffled.

"I have no idea what you just said." He said blankly, and turned at the sound of light footsteps.

A tiny figure wearing a white poncho stepped into the moonlight streaming through the window, her pale blue eyes reflecting eerily. She reached out towards Zatanna.

"Woah! Hey woah!" Cameron said, and let ice spikes tear through the rope. He stood up, shaking off the rope and was about to move to defend Zatanna when the girl ripped the tape off of her mouth.

"Ouch!" She yelped. She closed her eyes "Sepor, emoc esool!" She whispered quickly, and the ropes rose into the air like snakes, unwinding themselves from around Zatanna's form.

"First you lure us into a trap, and now you free us?" She asked, standing up. "What's your game?"

"Secret." The little girl repeated softly. Cameron's eyebrows furrowed. _Something's up here…_

Zatanna shook her head and looked around the room. There was a four poster bed with pink blankets, and a vanity with trinkets and a photograph on it. She wandered over, Cameron and 'Secret' following.

She picked up the frame, studying it. It was a photo of the girl and Harm, both smiling with an arm around each other, Harm making a peace sign for the camera. "Is this your room?" Zatanna asked the young girl incredulously. "Do you live with this nutjob?!" She whispered harshly, waving the picture frame at her.

"Secret."

"Secret, right." Zatanna said, tossing the photo onto the bed.

Cameron reached over and picked it up. He froze. The girl in the photo was much brighter colored, her hair a bright gold, her skin a warm creamy peach and her eyes a deep ocean blue. Cameron turned and stared at the girl in real life. She was much paler, her hair almost platinum blonde in the moonlight, hidden under her hood. Her eyes stared at him, sapphires meeting a moonlit lake.

"Secret…" She whispered softly, reaching out to hold his hand.

"Cameron." Zatanna hissed in the doorway.

Cameron started. "Yeah, I'm coming." He said, and glanced at the girl one last time before following the magician, slowly pulling his hand out of her grip. Zatanna ducked into the shadows of the hallway, and crouched down. "Ekoms dna srorrim... Etaerc snoisulli!" She whispered. Cameron turned to see an illusion of himself standing behind Zatanna, watching her pick the crossbow off of the stand to examine.

"Get ready." She whispered.

No sooner than they had said that, the door to the room across from it burst open, as Harm dashed into the other room with the sword.

They ducked into the room, Cameron turning his ice armored hand into a blade, and sliced down the side of Artemis' chair, She stood up, and ripped off the rest of the ropes.

"C'mon let's go!" Cameron whispered, and they ran out of the room, bolting down the stairs while Harm was still distracted.

Secret stood at the bottom, beckoning them towards her. Artemis snapped up her crossbow. "Woah!" Cameron yelled, blocking her arm, Zatanna doing the same.

"You guys! She's his partner!" She snapped loudly, looking between the two.

"Then why did she help us?" Zatanna snapped back.

"_I don't know, secret_." She mocked, only to be cut off from a humming behind them. They turned to see Harm at the top of the steps, a dark look on his face as he aimed the glowing sword at them.

"HIT THE DECK!" Cameron yelled, throwing up an ice barrier between them and Harm.

Artemis and Zatanna leapt down the steps. The shield exploded, ice flying everywhere. Cameron flew backwards, crashing into the girls before Harm suddenly blasted a hole in the floor, sending them tumbling down towards the first floor.

Cameron wheezed, the air being knocked from his lungs. He coughed, unable to breathe. Artemis groaned, sitting up. "Zatanna, help Cameron get out of here, I'll hold him off." She said and stood up.

Zatanna nodded, helping Cameron to his feet as he coughed, leading him to the door. He hacked, trying to fight for air. They managed to stumble down into the basement, Secret jumping down the steps shortly after them.

Artemis slammed the door behind her, having loosed another arrow. "Get down!" She yelled, jumping down the steps two at a time.

They crouched down, covering their heads as an explosion rocked the building above them. Dust rained down on their heads, and Cameron covered his mouth, trying not to inhale the god knows what.

The group waited a moment for the silence, and then carefully stood up. Zatanna helped Cameron over to the outside basement doors, and Artemis opened them. Cameron took several deep breaths, trying to relax his lungs. They stepped outside, carefully stepping over pieces of broken glass and shrapnel that escaped the explosion.

Artemis turned spotting a small grave. Zatanna, after checking with Cameron to see if he was alright standing on his own, moved over to the grave.

Cameron stood next to them, leaning against the wooden arch. "Greta Hayes." Zatanna read aloud. "Beloved sister."

They gasped, watching as a glowing figure floated out of the dirt, her body solidifying in front of them. Cameron glanced behind him, where she had been at the cellar doors last he'd checked. There was nothing there.

They all backed away from her slightly. "This…is your grave." Zatanna whispered, looking down at the wooden gravestone in front of her. Cameron froze. It all made sense now. Her pale complexion, her disappearing acts, her always being where her brother was, or at least one step ahead. "This is your secret. This is you." Zatanna said, looking back up at the ghost.

Greta looked away sadly. "A ghost. An actual ghost." Artemis whispered, staring at the little girl.

"You're so young." Cameron whispered, feeling something breaking in his chest. _I was about her age when I got the name Icicle Junior… _

"How did you die?" Zatanna asked, standing up.

Greta raised her hands, a ball of light forming between her pale fingers. It molded and elongated, before transforming into a dagger.

"Harm's dagger." Artemis said in surprise.

The door exploded behind them. They whipped around to see Harm in the doorway, his sword crackling dangerously. "They defile Harm's holy place!" He growled, stalking down the steps towards them, Greta fading away with the smoke.

"We defiled it?!" Artemis cried, as Cameron stood up, stepping away from the stone arch and more protectively in front of Greta's grave. "You did this! To your own _sister_!" She yelled, pointing back at the grave.

He tilted his head and smirked. "You're proud of it?" Artemis asked in horror. "And you had the gall to write _**beloved**_." She snarled, holding up her crossbow.

"Not gall, truth. She was the only thing Harm ever loved. That's why she had to go; Harm's heart had to be pure. Greta had to be cut out and excised like an infection." Harm explained his face hard.

Greta floated out of her grave, opening her eyes angrily at her brother. Harm's eyes widened in surprise, before he relaxed. "Ah, it cast another illusion spell." He said, fully confident it wasn't real.

"Except I didn't speak." Zatanna said, glancing back at Greta. "Harm knows i_t_ can't cast a spell without speaking." Zatanna mocked, Greta walking up to her brother.

Harm gasped, taking a few steps back.

"You asked how we found this place? Face it Harm, your secret is out." Artemis said bitterly.

Cameron smirked, watching the younger sibling walk up confidently to her brother, her killer, as he began to shake, backing way from the smaller figure. "No! Harm's heart is pure! Harm is not sorry!" He said pointing the sword at Greta, the sword fizzling and dying in his grip. "I'm not!"

Greta stepped through the sword, her eyes burning with anger at her brother. She moved her arm, and reached into her brother's chest, causing him to gasp and seize in pain. She slowly pulled out her hand, holding the molten fiery energy in her palm before it vanished, causing Harm to gasp and collapse to the ground.

He looked up in horror at her empty hand before picking up the blade, and swinging it at her, only for it to pass through her like smoke. Suddenly, the blade sunk to the ground, too heavy for Harm to pick up. The clawed sheath twisted and clawed at its former master's hand, causing him to drop the blade to keep the sheath from attacking his face.

The blade flew into the air, knocking Harm away before sliding back into its sheath, dropping back to the ground harmlessly.

He turned to them, panic and rage in his eyes. "I don't need the sword!" He yelled, slicing and stepping through Greta to strike at the girls. Artemis kicked the blade out of Harm's hand, knocking it away into the dirt.

"So unfocused! Can't fight us when fighting itself!" Artemis mocked Harm with his own words, hands on her hips.

He threw a wild punch at her, only to have her punch him in the gut, kicking him in the chin and face. He grasped at his nose, grunting. Artemis turned with a roundhouse, knocking him down for the count.

Zatanna stepped over. "Egnahc sehtolc otni sgnidnib." She said, and his jacket came apart, wrapping themselves around him and his legs, binding him.

They turned around, seeing Greta wander back towards her grave. She turned around, glancing back at them sadly.

"We'll make sure you receive a proper burial." Zatanna promised, smiling kindly at the little girl. "We won't forget you Greta."

She nodded, and turned to look at Cameron, offering him a tiny smile. "Secret." She said one last time, and faded away, sinking into the earth.

Artemis sagged. "I still can't believe anyone could do that to his own sister." She said, staring at the ground. "If my-" She caught herself, stopping that mid sentence.

"If what?" Zatanna asked gently, stepping over to Artemis' side. Cameron reached over and took her hand. She said nothing.

"Artemis, talk to us. Secrets don't stay buried, obviously." She said, gesturing to Greta's grave. "It's better to bring them into the light." She said.

Cameron gave her hand a squeeze_. You can tell her if you want to._

She paused, before twitching a finger. _Not yet._

"I don't have any secrets." She said, looking down at the ground. They turned, hearing police sirens down the road. "Cops are coming." Artemis groaned.

"We did blow up the kitchen." Zatanna said with a rueful smile.

Artemis wandered over to the fence, where a hole had been broken. "Guys, look." She whispered.

They came over, the Abel's House of Secret's sign was there, with only the word Secret being lit up. "Must've been the last thing Greta ever saw." Artemis said softly.

Cameron bowed his head and looked back at the grave. He thought back to her smile when she looked at him. _I'll come back and visit. I promise…._

()()()()()()()

Hey guys! another update! HUZZAH! I hope you all like it, and I want you all to know that I've read every single review and I appreciate them all! next update to come up soon!


	12. Misplaced

()()()()()()()

Cameron sat in front of Greta's grave. It had been a week since the ghostly encounter with Greta, and things were finally starting to settle down again. He had been silent for the past half hour, unsure of what to say. _I mean, what are you supposed to say to a dead girl? _

He took a deep breath, looking around at the park, the sun setting in the distance, painting the sky orange, red, and purple. He sighed. "I- I don't really know how to do this…" He started, glancing down at the grave. "You know, talking to a dead person." He winced. "Sorry, that came out bad." He apologized.

Cameron rested his chin on his knees. "I have a criminal relationship with my family too, so, I guess I kinda know what you went through." A cool gentle breeze feathered through his hair. "My mom died in childbirth. Apparently she couldn't deal with how cold I was as an infant and she lost to much blood. That's what my Dad told me anyway. He's an ice villain, builds ice tech for a living." Cameron continued, his words beginning to flow.

"After mom died he raised me to be a villain too. I inherited the name Icicle Junior. Genius right? But, the Justice League gave me a second chance at life, and now I don't know what to do with it. I mean, using whiteout isn't the same as having a clean slate, so, how am I going to convince people to understand I'm a good guy now without scaring the life out of them?" He asked, and looked up at the gravestone, a proper one now, with roses carved into it.

Greta was silent. "Secret huh?" He smiled ruefully. He sighed and stood up. Suddenly, it was like the world flickered, and everything went still.

He whipped around, and suddenly heard a hiss over his ear comm. "Cameron, come in Cameron." Robin's voice called, sounding slightly rushed.

He reached up and tapped it. "Uh, yeah, I'm here?" He said, scrunching his eyes up in confusion.

It was suddenly silent for a second, and Cameron began to quickly make his way back to the Zeta Tube, dread sinking into the bottom of his stomach.

"Cameron where are you?" Robin asked hurriedly.

"I'm in the New York Marble Cemetery. Why?" He asked, and pressed the button next to the large billboard, quickly climbing inside before anyone could see.

"Because all of the adults have gone missing." He said.

"Wait what?!" Cameron yelped.

"Recognized, Cameron Mahkent. A zero five." The computer said, and Cameron vanished.

()()()()()()()

Cameron helped settle some of the little ones into the high school gym. "Alright kiddies, go and uh, play." He said, letting the toddler squirm away and towards some of the others.

"There are so many of them." Artemis said, looking around at all of the tots and children wandering around, some crying, some playing like it was the last day of their life while some were silent, fidgeting as they stood in one place.

"So, go entertain 'em or something!" Cameron said. "Sing em a song or something."

Artemis rolled her eyes, but nodded, heading over to a pile of gymnastics mats. "Alright kids, who wants to hear a song?"

Cameron grinned, watching her try to entertain the kids with preschool songs and attempting to teach them clapping games.

Suddenly, he felt a tug on his pant leg. He glanced down in surprise, and saw a tiny girl staring up at him from behind a pair of glasses, wearing a fluffy pink dress and her black hair in a long braid. "Do you know where my mommy is?" She asked softly, her large eyes filled with worry and fear. Cameron grimaced at the 'm' word, but knelt down in front of her.

"I'm not sure, but me and my team are working very hard to find them." He said, trying to smile reassuringly. Her face began to scrunch up, and redden. Oh no. He knew that face.

"Uh, wait! Wait a second!" He said, and suddenly an idea popped into his head. He held out a hand and began to concentrate, carefully twisting and freezing the water around him into a specific shape. The tiny girl gasped as a tiny flower made of ice formed in his hand.

"How'd you do that?!" She asked, her face lighting up in awe.

"I have superpowers." He smiled, and held it out for her to take. She reached out and carefully scooped it into her tiny hands.

"It's cold!" She said, looking up at him.

"Well, it is made of ice." He laughed.

Suddenly a little boy hopped over to them. "Hey, can you make a plane out of that?" He asked, looking up at Cameron expectantly.

"Um, sure." Cameron shrugged. He sat down, and closed his eyes. He held out his hands, and carefully molded and froze the liquid in the air into a small plane in his hand. The little boy gasped, his eyes glittering in delight at the small biplane sitting in Cameron's hand.

Suddenly, Cameron was surrounded by a small swarm of kids, all of them asking him to make stuff for them. "A truck!" "A giraffe!" "I want a horse!" "Can you make a life sized pony?" "Gimme a kitty!"

Cameron looked up over their heads to give a '_oh god please help me for the love of Christ_' look at Artemis who was merely having a severe case of the giggles just watching the scene.

"Okay! Okay one at a time!" He said, but the children paid him no mind.

He turned and saw Wally and M'gann enter the high school, Wally sporting a toddler. "Alright kiddies, I just have to talk to them for a quick second."

They all groaned in disappointment and began to wander away with pouts on their faces. "Thanks mister!" The little girl said, clutching the little ice flower to her chest. Cameron smiled softly. _Well, at least a few of them are happy. _

"I've been collecting kids all day. I don't need to see another empty house." Wally had finished saying, cradling a small toddler in the nook of his arm.

Cameron walked over. "Don't worry, we'll find 'em." He said, placing a cool hand on Wally's shoulder.

"I got three more!" Connor announced, holding two of them under each arm and a third clinging to his head. Cameron sighed, rubbing his forehead. _The more the merrier I guess._

()()()()()()()

Cameron watched as Robin pulled up the global holo-map on the giant sensor pad. Zatanna took a deep breath. "You'll do fine." Cameron reassured her, giving her a pat on the back. She nodded, gripping the wand tightly in her hand.

She stepped forward, raising the wand and pointing it at the map. "Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros!"

Just like last time, a red dot appeared on the globe, this time further down the American coastline.

"Coordinates locked. Roanoke island." Robin announced. "You did it." He smiled reassuringly.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light behind them, like a flash of lightning. Cameron whipped around, and was shocked to see a kid standing there, not much older than the children they had just been herding into the gymnasium earlier.

"Where did you come from?" Kaldur asked in shock, stepping towards the child. "Who are you?!"

"Quick! Read my mind!" He said, looking over at M'gann.

Cameron looked between the two in surprise. How'd he know?

M'gann's eyes glowed a bright green, and she gasped blinking. "He's Captain Marvel!" She exclaimed.

Cameron turned to look at the boy, his blue eyes bright with confidence.

"Yeah, and I'm Speedy Gonzales." Kid Flash said sarcastically. "Look, just because he believes he's Cap-"

"Gee Wally." The kid interrupted, placing his hands on his hips. "Do I really have to bring you nachos and pineapple juice to get on your good side?" He asked with a knowing smile.

They exchanged glances. "I knew there was something off about you!" Cameron laughed, pointing at the kid.

()()()()()()()

To tell the truth, it was really interesting to have a conversation with the other league members via a child vanishing and reappearing at will.

"There will be threats in both dimensions, and we may not be familiar with our opponents." Batman had told the child to tell them.

"But the key to this mission is a coordinated simultaneous attack." Aqualad answered. The child vanished then reappeared.

"Agreed. Our best chance against sorcery is to strike fast, disrupt their efforts." Batman responded.

"And hope the dimensions merge naturally back into one." Kaldur said, holding up a fist.

Zatanna looked off to the side, and held her arms. Cameron turned to her. "Hey," He said placing a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get you back to your Dad in no time." He said reassuringly.

Zatanna gave him a weak smile.

()()()()()()()

Cameron hid in the bushes with Superboy, looking at the figure in the circle with horn like hair. He groaned, spotting the red eyed, shabby tabby cat circling the boy's legs. "Ugh. Klarion." He groaned.

"You know each other?" Superboy asked, turning to him in surprise.

"Know _of_ him." Cameron corrected. "My Dad tried making business with the sorcerers at one point, and he was the biggest brat of them all. Thinks sorcery is better than anything else in this world. He considers himself the big cheese in the sorcery department of criminals." Cameron explained, and watched as the cat suddenly stirred, Klarion looking around him suspiciously. "Uh-oh."

Artemis and Robin took their chance, throwing birdarangs and arrows at him. He stopped them easily with a miniature shield, knocking them to the ground. "Is that the best you can do?" He mocked, a malicious grin splitting his face. He raised a black clawed hand almost lazily, and an arc of lightning struck the ground in front of them.

"Arty!" He cried, and Superboy made a dash for the pentagram. Kaldur and Kid Flash joined him, Cameron following behind. Just as they hit the pentagram, a dome suddenly formed over Klarion, shielding him from their attacks. Superboy tumbled away, Zatanna stepping in front of him.

"Etativel mih ffo eht margatnep!" She cried. A small flicker of light hit the shield, but there was no effect.

Klarion scoffed. "Baby Magic. Etativel reh dna kaerb reh deah." He flicked his fingers at her, and Zatanna cried out, sent flying through the air and almost smashing her head against a rock before Superboy raced over and caught her in his arms.

Cameron ran over with a battle cry, clenching his hands against the barrier and trying to freeze it. M'gann joined him, telekinetically throwing large rocks at the icy areas, trying to break it. Klarion turned and opened his mouth, a stream of crimson flames leaping out and forcing Cameron and M'gann to dodge, Cameron throwing himself to the ground.

Klarion grinned. "Oh! It looks like we have a traitor in our midst." He grinned at Cameron.

"Screw you Witchboy!" Cameron yelled, and began to hurl ice spikes at the dome. He heard a loud pop, and turned to see that one of Artemis' arrows had turned into a green ball of yarn, rolling to a stop in front of Klarion's mangy cat.

Klarion let out a cackle. "Show em what a familiar to a Lord of Chaos can do Teekl." He grinned, and threw out his hands at the cat. Cameron backed up, seeing the cat begin to grow and stretch, her fangs elongating into sabers and her tiny claws into lion like death hooks.

"Oh Jesus." He cursed, and yelped dodging a swipe from the massive Sabretooth's claws. Superboy charged the cat, only to be batted away by a massive paw. Superboy dodged another blow aimed for his head, but was once again struck by the massive cat, snarling as it chased after its prey.

Klarion suddenly grunted, turning towards the golden crystal in the middle of the magic circle which was now crackling with electricity. "So, they teamed up with the grownups." He murmured. "Team work is so overrated." He smirked, and unleashed the arc at the other team members.

Cameron let out a yell, getting knocked away and smacking against a nearby tree. His armor cracked slightly across his back and head, but held firm. He groaned, holding his head as he looked up to see a flash of light. The Captain Marvel kid was standing there.

"It's the gem-" He was cut off my M'gann's hand across his mouth.

_Don't shout Billy. I've linked your telepathically to the others._ M'gann explained, removing her gloved hand from his mouth.

_That's so cool!_ He geeked out slightly, his high pitched voice ringing in Cameron's head.

_You got news from the League?_ Cam asked pointedly, forcing himself to his feet. _Because we could __**really**__ use a hint right now. _

_It's the gem._ Billy snapped back to attention. _At the center of the pentagram. Destroy it, and we win!_

Cameron turned back to the fight to suddenly see the Helmet of Fate appear where a rock just was.

"Zatanna no don't!" Cameron yelled, running over to her. But it was too late; she had already slipped on the helmet.

There was a flash of gold, and Dr. Fate appeared, his clothes wrapped around her feminine form. She rose into the air, a bright golden ankh shining behind her.

"Oh god no, Zatanna!" Cameron yelled, trying to get her attention.

"Klarion!" She ignored him, a deep masculine voice intertwined with hers. "This ends **now**."

Klarion snarled at the golden figure above him.

_Billy! Tell Zatara!_ M'gann ordered.

"Yeah, right. Shazam!" Billy disappeared in a flash of lightning.

Klarion threw out his arms, unleashing a fiery trail of red against Dr. Fate's ray of gold. Klarion swerved the light to the side, letting it bounce off of his shield. He began to ignite large fireballs in his palms, and began to toss them at Zatanna's figure which was dodging them in a zigzag pattern. She paused and began to strike at the shield once more with her golden ankh attack.

Aqualad and M'gann quickly leapt back into battle, beating against the shield with all of their might. Cameron began to freeze it, letting M'gann and Kaldur beat on the frozen areas in attempt to find a weak spot.

Dr. Fate suddenly flickered; causing Zatanna to gasp and fall slightly before the image flickered again catching her.

"Ha! There see!" Klarion smirked like a kid who was just proven right in an argument, his demonic face alight with satisfaction. "When the world's divided the helmet splits you! You're not all here Nabu! And you're losing hold on that poor soon to be dead girl!" He gave a nasty giggle. "She gives herself for nothing!"

"No Witchboy!" Zatanna/Dr. Fate said forcefully. "Fate decrees her sacrifice will not be in vain!" She threw a massive golden strike against his shield, causing him to shield his head. M'gann started to throw nearby boulders, Kaldur beating the shield with water maces, and Cameron's ice beginning to crawl over it rapidly as the shield began to crack.

"No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!" Klarion cried, his clawed hands covering his face. He fell to his knees, the shield dissolving from around him. Dr. Fate threw out her hands, a shining ankh locking itself around Klarion's head and hands like he was in the stocks.

He struggled, pulling and tugging at his new bonds. "NOW KID!" Kaldur yelled, and Kid Flash darted out of the woods, snatching up the gem from the circle and skidding to a halt.

"Doc! Catch!" He yelled, throwing the gem at the magician.

"Yam eht owt emoceb eno ecno erom!" Dr. Fate chanted, holding the gem in her hands.

Cameron gasped, the world flickering before suddenly, the adult villains appeared on the circle, collapsing to the ground.

Klarion looked around at them, before shrugging as best he could in Dr. Fate's bonds. "Well, they sure don't make evil immortal sorcerers like they used to. Oh well." He said in an easygoing tone, before snapping his fingers. Dr. Fate's makeshift stocks dissolved around him, and he stood up, brushing off his suit. "Fun while it lasted. Teekl!" He called.

The massive Sabretooth looked up from where it was snarling over Superboy's form. It leapt back over towards its master, growing smaller and smaller with each step before it had returned to its normal size. It leapt into its masters' arms and Klarion turned, opening a red swirling portal. "See you later armadillos! Unless I see you first!" He smirked at Cameron "I'll tell your dad you said hi!" He cackled, jumping into the void as it closed behind him.

Cameron stiffened and swallowed, before moving to help Artemis get back up.

Kid Flash skidded over to Dr. Fate. "Aren't you going to stop him?!" He asked the magician, looking up at him in surprise.

"To what end?" She asked, her voice warped from Nabu's deeper octave. "Klarion is chaos personified. He cannot be contained."

Robin stood up, Superboy helping him find his feet. "Ugh, did we win?" He asked.

"At a cost." Kaldur said, turning back to Zatanna.

Zatara stepped forward. "Fate!" He called. Dr. Fate didn't blink. "Great Nabu." Zatara went on, more respectfully. "Release my daughter." He implored, spreading his arms.

Fate was quiet for a second, and then… "No." Zatanna growled. Zatara's eyes widened. "Witness the havoc wrought in these hours?" Dr Fate asked them. "The world needs Dr. Fate." She spread her arms. "And the girls natural affinity for the mystic arts makes her the perfect candidate."

"You can't do that!" Artemis yelled up at the figure. Cameron held her back slightly, feeling a shiver just looking up at the figure.

"She has her own life to live!" Robin said, holding his injured arm.

"Kent would never allow -" Kid Flash started.

"Kent Nelson did object, strenuously." Zatanna responded, turning to the Flash's apprentice. "So I released his spirit into the afterlife. He is gone."

Cameron glanced at Artemis, exchanging worried looks. Zatara raised his arms. "Take me instead. My skills are already at their peak, my body is physically stronger, better able to withstand the strain of your power." He implored, looking up into his daughter's eyes.

"All true…" Dr. Fate murmured. "But if I remove the helmet, what guarantee have I you will don it?" Zatanna's voice responded suspiciously.

"My **word**." Zatara answered solemnly. He murmured something that must have been the magical equivalent, waiting for Dr. Fate's response.

Dr. Fate was silent for a moment, before slowly lowering Zatanna's enrobed form down to the earth. She landed lightly in front of her father, then, ever so slowly, pulled the helmet off of her ebony head.

She blinked slowly, as if waking from a dream before they widened at the sight of her father. "Dad!" She cried, wrapping her arms around her father.

"Zatanna!" He said, gratefully holding her to him. They split apart, Zatanna looking up at her father in joy. Zatara leaned closer to his daughter. "Remember, I love you."

Cameron suddenly felt his arm move and grab Zatara's. "I'll wear the helmet." He said, looking up at the older hero in determination.

"What?! Cam no!" Artemis said, turning him around.

"I won't have Zatanna end up like me!" He shouted, and everyone froze slightly. Cameron shook his head, swallowing back the memories of lonely nights, waiting up for his father for days and wondering where he was and knowing that there was nothing he could do to please him because he was only there when he wanted to be. "I won't. Listen, I'm the least skilled on the team and Zatanna needs her father. I don't have any real ties or secret second life to live. I'm the perfect candidate for this Nabu guy." He said, and turned back to Zatara.

Zatara sighed, and looked at Cameron. "Cameron, I infinitely appreciate your offer but I've offered Nabu my word. If I break that, I may irrevocably lose my magic. All of it. I must do this." He turned and kissed Zatanna on the forehead, gently prying the helmet from her hands. He looked over at Batman. "Take care of my girl."

"You have my word." The Dark Knight nodded.

Zatara lifted the helmet above his head. "No please! This was all my fault! No Dad! Don't! **DAD**!" The golden helmet slid over Zatara's head, and the magician's costume vanished, replaced with the blue and golden costume of Dr. Fate.

Zatara's warm green eyes became cold emeralds, staring down at what was once his daughter before turning away. "Leave these to Fate." He said, and lifted up into the air, levitating the other magical criminals with him before vanishing in a flash of gold.

Zatanna fell to her knees, staring up into the sky where her father vanished. Cameron knelt down with her, and placed a cool hand on her shoulder, squeezing it.

()()()()()()()

It had been two days since Zatara had become Doctor Fate, and the team had finally finished helping Zatanna move her things into the Cave.

"My room's right next door if you need anything." M'gann said, smiling softly at the young magician.

"And I'm on the other side. We can try and learn morse code or something so we can communicate through the walls if you want." Cameron offered, trying to get her to crack a smile.

"Thanks, but…I could uh…use a little alone time…okay?" She asked quietly, obviously trying to remain strong for them.

"Of course." Artemis nodded and they began to walk out. Cameron paused at the door.

"If you need someone to talk to, I'm right here." He said, looking at her. She nodded quietly, and the door slid shut behind him.


	13. Coldhearted

Cameron woke up to a painful thudding in his temples, and groaned. He could feel something sticky and warm on the side of his face.. He shifted to get up, and froze. His arms and legs were being held upright spread eagled by chains and cuffs, but that wasn't what frightened him. Oh no, it was the terrifyingly familiar feel of cold metal hugging his throat, and the sharp sensation of a needle in each wrist. His eyes snapped open, meeting darkness.

"You're awake huh?" A voice asked, echoing in the cold interior. And, the nightmare just got worse.

"Hey Dad…" Cameron answered, trying to keep his voice calm even when his body was beginning to tremble badly.

"So, who's the girl?" Icicle Senior asked casually, Cameron hearing him pace lazily behind him.

"What?" Cameron asked, trying to play innocent.

"That girl's grave you've been visiting for the past few weeks." Icicle Senior said, not missing a beat. There was a shuffling of papers. "October 29th, 8 am, subject went to New York Marble Cemetery. Sat in front of Greta Hayes grave until 9. Left at 9:15. November 3rd, 10 am, went to New York Marble Cemetery. Sat and _talked_ with Greta Hayes for two hours. Left at 12:30. November 10th, 5 pm, went to New York Marble Cemetery-"

"You had me followed?" Cameron asked in horror, his heartbeat beginning to pick up. "How?! You were in prison! You're supposed to be in prison!" He tried to turn and look at him, jerking his arms but they were held taut.

His father gave a lighthearted laugh, a laugh a person gives when a child asks a ridiculous question but you decide to answer anyway. Cameron flinched when his father's large hands descended on his thin shoulders. He leaned into his ear. "I never left." He whispered, his breath cold against the former juvenile's ear

Cameron stiffened, feeling his father let go of his form. "You see son, a good villain never tells a hero his plan unless he has a death wish. He never drops any details, not a single hint. So, that's why I never told you anything until we were ready." His father laughed. "You _always_ had trouble keepin' a secret."

It grew quiet, and Cameron felt his heart begin to thud loudly against his chest.

"So…what'd they offer ya?" His father asked quietly. Cameron was silent, staring at the dark floor in front of him. "….Money…? …..Fame….?…. Oh, maybe a lifetime pardon for your crimes?" His father mocked. Cameron kept his head down, not answering him.

It was silent.

Suddenly, large fingers fisted themselves into his hair and yanked backwards roughly. Cameron yelped, his head being forced with the motion. A cold blade licked at his throat, and he froze. "When I ask you something…..You answer me. Remember?" His father asked quietly into his ear.

Cameron was completely still, feeling a shudder make its way across his skin. The tip of the blade suddenly slid across his skin, moving towards his jugular. "I….I remember….." Cameron said slowly, trying not to injure himself against the blade.

His father let go of his hair, and Cameron let it slump forward. He was panicking. _My Father's lost it. He's officially lost it. He is so angry with me, Oh My God, he's going to kill me. __**He's really going to kill me this time**__. Oh My God. Someone please help me. Please._

"Well?" His father asked calmly, as if he hadn't just threatened to slit his son's throat just a second ago. Cameron swallowed, a sudden lump forming in his throat.

"They, o-offered a pardon. I-If I worked for their team." Cameron admitted. "They gave me a room and everything."

"'A room and everything' huh?" His father repeated slowly, resuming his lazy pace, slowly circling around till he was in front of his son.

Cameron nodded, suddenly too afraid to speak.

"So, you're suddenly too good or your old man now? Got yourself a warm bed, a team of junior policemen at your disposal?" His father asked.

Cameron turned his head. "Dad please I-"

His Father slapped him roughly across the face. "You shut up! You worthless shit! I should've thrown you into a boiler! You little Fuck! YOU THINK YOU CAN RUN AWAY FROM ME?!" He screamed, clutching Cameron's head painfully between his large hands, his fingernails digging into Cameron's head. "YOU SON OF A BITCH?! YOU DON'T TALK OR THINK WITHOUT MY TELLING YOU TO! YOU DON'T FUCKING TAKE A PISS WITHOUT MY SAY SO, YOU LITTLE PRICK!"

Cameron yelled, trying to pull his head out of his father's grip. His father's fingers were clawing at his skull, and had actually managed to pull out a few hairs. "Stop it! Dad stop!" He yelled, jerking at his arms trying to get free. His father snarled and punched him making Cameron cry out.

He grabbed Cameron roughly by the chin, forcing him to look up into his Father's face. "I'm going to teach you a little lesson about loyalty. If this doesn't fucking kill you by the end of the day." He gave a dark laugh. "I don't think I need to finish that sentence actually." He said, and turned around. He opened up a hatch above him, and climbed out. "I'll see you at the Funeral. Son." His Dad said with a dark smile.

Cameron turned, jerking at his arms. It looked like there were two tanks filled with a clear blue liquid installed on either side of him, attached to wires that led into the needles in each wrist. He pulled and tugged, but the chains were holding firm, and it appeared they had the foresight to tape down the wires into his arms so he couldn't remove them.

Suddenly, the room around him began to hum and churn with the sound of gears and engines. Electricity danced down and into the tanks filled with fluid, filling them with an electric charge.

And Cameron began to scream.

()()()()()()()

"Recognized Kid Flash. B03." Kid Flash hopped off of the the Zeta Tube platform, dressed in a red sweater, sweatpants, sneakers, and a thick brown parka for the snowy weather. "Zeta Tube Network now offline due to extreme atmospheric conditions."

"Woah, Just made it." Wally commented, walking into the Cave's Kitchen area. "It'd be a tragedy if I missed my-" The lights suddenly switched on, and Wally threw a hand up in surprise at the light.

"SURPRISE!" the Team yelled, a giant happy birthday birthday banner hanging behind them and multicolored balloons decorating the ceiling.

"WHAAAAAA? You guys shouldn't have!" Wally said, playing innocent.

"Right, not like you've been hinting for days or anything." Robin said, smirking at his best friend.

M'gann quickly picked up a party hat and handed it over to Wally. "Come on! Come see your cake!" She said.

"I'm comin' babe!" He laughed, placing the colorful coned hat on his head and following her over to the couch.

He plopped down in front of the coffee table, as M'gann levitated the cakes over to him. "We made you two cakes!" She announced, the candles already lit up for him.

"Awesome! What'll you guys eat?" He asked, turning to M'gann.

"We'll split the cupcakes!" She smiled. "Make a wish!"

"Way ahead of you." Wally smirked, and blowing the candles out on both cakes. The Team applauded, clapping their hands together.

"You know, if I tell you my wish, it won't come true." Wally commented, looking at M'gann out of the corner of his eye. "But if you guess….." M'gann held up a piece of cake as her answer. "Nope, guess again." He said, even as he took the large slice of cake from her.

Artemis turned away walking over to Zatanna. M'gann kissed Wally on the forehead. "Happy birthday." She conceded, smiling warmly at the redhead. Artemis glanced back and smiled.

"Hey Zatanna." She said, walking over. She handed the magician a water bottle.

"Thanks. She said

"You settling in okay?" Robin asked, holding up two slices of cake for the young magician.

"Oh yeah, it's just like home. " Zatanna said softly, dressed in a matching purple hat and winter coat.

"I know this is all very new and intimidating, but I promise you. Someday, you'll get used to watching Wally eat." Robin said with a smile.

Artemis wandered over. "Have either of you seen Cameron?" She asked, looking between the two.

"Uh, no why?" Robin asked, Zatanna also shaking her head in the negative.

Artemis was worried, she hadn't seen him all morning. But, brushing it off as his visiting Greta during the snow, she shrugged. "I just wanted to know if he wanted the honor of telling Wally, if we should anyway…." She said, and they turned to watch the red head hopelessly attempt to flirt with the redhead.

"You're getting warmer babe." Wally said, M'gann cutting him another enormous slice of cake. "But, I can make you warmer still…." He trailed off.

"He is the only one who doesn't know." Robin consented.

"Well, since Cameron isn't here to break up the tie…allow me…." Artemis said with a grin, walking over to Wally as M'gann floated away to talk to Connor.

They watched as Artemis sat down on the couch behind Wally, whispering in his ear. Wally started, and turned to look at M'gann who was currently feeding Connor a cake by hand, wiping frosting off his lips with a thumb before giggling as she licked it off.

"Aww man!" He groaned loudly.

"Attention Team." Batman called over the intercom. "Suit up. Polar Stealth, mission briefing in 5."

()()()()()()()

"Where's Flash? And Junior?" Wally asked, the team gathered in front of the holoscreen where Batman was briefing them.

"The Flash and Red Tornado already have their assignments. However Junior's disappearance may be related to your next mission."

"Wait, disappearance?" Zatanna asked, looking up at Batman. "He was just here last night."

"I checked the tapes." Batman said, pulling up a side screen. It was a video, showing Cameron walking out of the Zeta Tube entrance in Manhattan and walking out without a care in the world. "I've attempted contact, and looked for his signal. But he is gone." He said solemnly.

"As I said before, his disappearance may be connected to a massive ice storm that's paralyzed North America from coast to coast. Satellite imagery has detected five flying ice fortresses, source unknown, that seem to be responsible and **must** be stopped." Batman said, looking down at the teens.

"Can't the Watchtower blow them out of the sky or something?" Wally asked.

"What's a Watchtower?" Zatanna asked, glancing at Robin through her white furred hood.

Batman sighed irritably. "The League's orbiting headquarters is not weaponized. And with both Green Lanterns off world, I need all hands on deck."

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Robin asked, stepping forward. "The League and the Team fighting side by side?"

"Woah! Really?!" Wally cried excitedly.

"Superboy, use the sphere-cycle to rendezvous with the Bat-plane at Ice Fortress one. You'll drop off Robin and Aqualad and continue on with Wolf to meet up with Black Canary and Red Tornado at Ice Fortress two." He looked over at M'gann. "Miss Martian, Artemis and Zatanna, take the bioship and rendezvous with Green Arrow and Martian Manhunter at Ice Fortress three. Other Leaguers will deal with Fortresses four and five, sending all coordinates now."

"Uh, Batman? I think you skipped…." Kid Flash trailed off.

"Kid Flash." Batman said, not skipping a beat. "A young girl in Seattle is in desperate need of a heart transplant. With all conventional air traffic grounded due to the storm, you'll need to pick up the donor heart in Boston and run 3000 miles cross country."

His face fell. "Who is this girl?!" He demanded to the screen.

"Does it matter?" Batman narrowed his eyes at the younger speedster.

"No…." He said letting his arms sag. " Of course not…But can't we Zeta-"

"The Zeta Tubes are offline, sorry…" Robin reminded him.

"Right, then how can I say no?" Kid Flash said, forcing on a smile. "Guess I won't be needing stealth." He said tapping his chest. The white rippled away to reveal the bright yellows and reds of his suit. "Speedy delivery boy, at your service."

"Batman, do you really think Cameron's involved in this?" Artemis asked quietly, her grip tightening anxiously on her bow.

Batman was silent for a moment. "Prepare to leave in five." He said, and cut the feed.

Artemis swallowed, taking a deep breath before moving to join M'gann in the bioship.

()()()()()()()

Cameron could barely scream anymore. He had been screaming endlessly for hours, every vein in his body having been lit on fire with the electrically charged fluid now pumping through his veins. Tears were burning hot tracks down his cheeks, before freezing in the below zero temperatures running through Cameron's veins. He gasped, his arms twitching as he struggled to catch his breath. Something in his throat had torn some time ago, but he couldn't stop the screaming if he tried.

Another wave hit him, and he jerked, screaming at the top of his lungs as he kicked uselessly at his restraints, his wrists and ankles long becoming bloody from his semi-involuntary struggle and causing his restraints to become slick with blood. He had given up on crying for help long ago, realizing after an hour of screaming that A, his father must have soundproofed the room, or B, he was underground where no one could hear him. He slumped, tears and sweat making his vision blurry and stinging his eyes.

Suddenly, a small explosion rocked the ground above him. He gasped, looking up at the ceiling above him. _Was it…? __**Could it**__….?_ There was a sound of tearing metal and another explosion. His watery eyes widened. "Guys!" He screamed hoarsely, his vocal chords worn thin with their use. "I'm-"

Electricity danced up his arms, cutting him off with an agonized wail, nearly biting his tongue in the process. The currents of liquid fire raced through his blood, stabbing at his heart with waves of pain. He felt something pop in his throat, and was forced to cough. Red suddenly flecked across his lips, droplets of the precious life liquid sprinkling across the dark metal at his feet. He gasped, his throat raw as the bitter coppery taste of blood swam in his mouth..

There was another loud bang, and suddenly, the room jerked. "Guys! Help…" He groaned, hot tears making their way across his cheeks.

It was silent.

He began to cry, sobbing softly in the darkness. They couldn't hear him. Or if they did, he was too far deep for them to reach. Wherever he was, they were going to destroy it; and he was going to go down with it. _I'm going to die….._

His chest ached with grief. He began to weep for everything he had lost. He wept for his innocence, for his childhood, and everything his father had stolen from him. He wept for the loss of Artemis, who would never see him again. He wept for Superboy, the only other close friend he had, who had found trust in him, and pulled him out of his hell. He wept for his life, for the few remaining heartbeats he had left. _I want to live. I want to live. Just a little longer, I want to Live. _

"I WANT TO LIVE!" He screamed at the ceiling, and cried out as he was struck again by the electricity. He kicked and jerked violently, uncaring of the blood and pain and agony he was in. "LET ME GO! I WANT TO LIVE!" He screamed, and was cut off back a wet cough, blood beginning to dribble down his lips.

He cried loudly, wailing in pain and grief as he convulsed in his bonds. He gasped for breath, his head sagging as he struggled to take in air.

Suddenly, he realized he could hear muffled yelling up above, and looked up at the black ceiling. "I'm here!" He yelled, finally tears of joy making their way down his face, laughing and sobbing all at once. "I'm here! I'm here!"

There was a groaning of metal, and a figure dropped down the ladder his father had climbed up what felt like years ago.

Kaldur turned around, and his eyes widened.

"Cameron?" He asked in shock, staring at the pale teen in shock.

Cameron could only smile, uncaring of his slightly bloodied teeth at the moment. He half sobbed half laughed at his face. "Hey, get me out of here would ya?" He laughed, even though somehow none of this was funny at all.

Kaldur blinked in shock, taking in the restraints and bloodied face. He nodded solemnly, and grabbed the manacle. He grunted, and the cuff broke under his superhuman strength. Cameron let his arm flop down uselessly, feeling like his arm had been worn out of its socket.

Kaldur repeated the procedure, but had only released his hand and leg before another wave of electricity hit him. He screamed, the needle getting ripped out of his arm as Kaldur took some of the charge, crying out in surprise.

Cameron wheezed as he slumped, arm now beginning to drip blood, and more tears escaped. "Get me **out**." He begged. "_Please_."

Kaldur wrenched off the other restraints with much more haste and Cameron collapsed to the ground. He weakly pulled the other wire out, panting.

Kaldur knelt down in front of him, and broke the collar around his neck. "Can you stand?" He asked, his steel grey eyes looking at him.

Cameron's eyes were half lidded. All he wanted to do now was to go to sleep, bed or no bed. "I-I'll try…." He murmured, his arms shaking.

Kaldur looked worried, but nodded, and helped pull him to his feet. "You go first. I'll catch you if you slip." He said, and helped him over to the ladder.

Cameron nodded shakily but grabbed the ladder rung. He climbed slowly, his muscles quivering and shaking with each movement. It took them maybe 6 minutes to climb, with Cameron having to pause and lean close to the ladder as his hands trembled violently.

They reached the top, Cameron looking up to see daylight. He forced himself to climb faster, to reach the air above. He grasped at the edge, struggling to pull himself up. A large black gloved hand grasped his hand and pulled him up the rest of the way. Cameron yelped loudly, the wounds on his wrists protesting the motion.

He fell against the deck, the howling winds around them nearly muffling the noise. He was still for a second, trying to catch his breath as his muscles burned and ached fiercely. A hand touched his shoulder. He gasped, flinching away from the hand his bloodied hands slipping as he scrambled away from the unexpected touch.

The hands continued, trying to grasp at him. Cameron panicked, beginning to kick and squirm. "No! Stop!" He said, suddenly feeling blind to everything around him. Words started streaming out of his mouth, utter gibberish that even he couldn't understand, but knowing he was begging them to stop. He even began to scream again, weakly kicking and punching at the multitude of hands grabbing at him.

Suddenly a small cloud formed around his face. His struggles became weaker, and weaker. Suddenly, he began to understand the gibberish he was saying "Dad….. please…..stop…." He murmured quietly, and everything went dark.

()()()()()()()

Batman looked at the group around him, Kaldur and Robin pale with horror as Aquaman and Flash looked on shocked.

He turned back to Cameron, the young juvie's shirt flecked with blood, a large nasty bruise along one side of his face as well as pale lips stained with red. His wrists and ankles were a mess, blood continuing to dribble and drip onto the teen's hands and feet. Batman removed the rebreather from his mouth, and stood, scooping the pale bloodied teen into his arms. "He needs medical attention." He said. "We'll take him back in the Bat-plane, and you three stay here and figure out how to land this….monstrosity." He said, fighting back the urge to grip the teen tighter.

Robin nodded shakily, and Kaldur sighed, the Flash placing a comforting hand on the young Atlantean's shoulder.

Aquaman and Batman walked away, carrying the broken teenager with him.

()()()()()()()

_Cameron was in a nightmare. _

_He was covered in his own blood, and it was dark. So dark. _

_He shivered, seeing his breath turn to mist in front of him. He turned around, and yelped, dodging the knife his father had just attempted to stab him with. "Dad!" He yelled, scrambling away from the man. Icicle Senior grinned, a dangerous gleam entering his eyes. Cameron threw up a hand to create a shield, but none appeared. _

_His father laughed. "Now so tough now are you? He said, pointing at his neck. Cameron's fingers reached up to feel cold metal wrapped around his neck. Icicle Senior laughed, and raised his blade over his head. Cameron scrambled, his father stabbing the ground between them. _

_"You're not a hero junior!" His father yelled, as Cameron turned and ran into the darkness, away from his crazed attacker. "You're nothing! You killed your own mother you little murderer!" He screamed, and laughed as Cameron tripped and stumbled. _

_Hands were grabbing him again. "No!" Cameron yelled his hands slick and slippery as he tried to pry the hands off. "No! Dad stop! Dad please! Stop! Dad! NO!" _

_"Cameron!" A voice yelled. "Cameron! __**CAMERON**__!" _

Cameron gasped, his eyes snapping open. Black Canary's face was inches from his own, her blue eyes staring into his own. "It's okay, it's okay, you're safe now."

For a moment, Cameron didn't comprehend what she was saying. But then, the memories trickled back, the black taint they carried starting to weight him down once more. He felt tears making their way down his face, and his hands grasped at her jacket sleeves.

"It's okay, you're safe now." Black Canary repeated, looking worried he continued to look at her with glazed eyes, as if seeing things she couldn't see.

Cameron felt his father beat him, felt the chains, heard his own voice screaming. Remembered begging god for another heartbeat…..

He gasped, suddenly finding it hard to breath past the lump forming in his throat. He looked back at her, begging her to be true.

"It's Alright; Everything's going to be okay." She said, leaning forward to hug him.

His fingers dug into her jacket with a death grip, small sobs working their way to the surface. She gently began to rock him back and forth, humming a senseless tune as he began to softly wail, mourning his life.

()()()()()()()

"The League destroyed the five Ice Fortresses, but failed to catch whomever was behind them. But Icicle Senior, Killer Frost, Captain Cold, and Mr. Freeze by far seem to be the most likely suspects." Batman reported to Hugo Strange, the Flash standing next to them.

"That's impossible." Dr. Strange said, and pulled up security footage on his computer "All four were in their cells for the duration of the crisis."

Batman and Flash exchanged a look.

"Very Well." Batman said smoothly, turning to leave. "Forgive us for taking up your time."

"Not at all." He said with a smile. "I'm only too happy to help keep the world a safer place." Dr. Strange said, his eyes disappearing under the reflection of his lenses. Batman paused, giving the Doctor a long look, before turning and walking out of the office, the Flash following.

"You don't believe that do you?" Flash whispered quietly, keeping a quick pace with him through the prison halls.

"Not a word." Batman said bitterly, his eyes dark as they made their way towards the exit.

"Then, what do we do?" Flash asked, looking around at the prisoners glaring down at them from their cells.

"What we do…..is wait for him to slip." Batman said, stalking out with a flutter of his black cape.

()()()()()()()

Wally placed the organ carrier on his shelf, smiling at it thoughtfully. Robin walked in, a solemn expression on his face. "So, did you hear about my exploits today?" Wally asked, smiling widely.

"We found Cameron." Robin said, looking up at Wally, his face serious and worn.

Wally, immediately noticing the attitude change, threw away the joke he was about to make about him missing his party. "What happened?" He asked, stepping closer to his best friend.

"He was…" Robin trailed off and shook his head. "Batman wants to brief the team in the Zeta Room."

Wally nodded, following after his friend feeling more confused and worried then before.

They walked into the Zeta Tube room, where the team was now standing, all dressed back into their casual wear. Wally noticed that Kaldur was standing next to Batman and Aquaman, wearing an expression identical if not more solemn and upset than Robin's.

"Okay, everybody's here." Artemis said, turning back to Batman. "So you found Cameron?" She asked, her voice relieved and worried at the same time.

"We found him trapped inside of Ice Fortress one. It appeared he was being used unwillingly as the power source for the machine." Batman said, and looked down at Kaldur.

Kaldur swallowed, but stepped forward. "I had heard something down below the top deck, and told the others I was going down to see if I could dismantle the engine. I jumped down a nearby hatch, and was going to try to destroy the core of the ship. But…." Kaldur trailed off, looking off to the side. Aquaman stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on Aqualad's shoulder. He took a deep breath. "He had been chained inside of the machine." He began, his eyes slightly distant as he looked back into memories. "Cameron was….injured, I believe he received them when trying to get out of the machine but…" He closed his eyes, trying to maintain composure. "He begged me to get him out. I only managed to remove some of the chains before he….was electrocuted by the machine."

Artemis clapped a hand to her mouth, expecting the worst. "He survived." Kaldur reassured. "But if that was the pain he had experienced for hours? I shudder to think what he has gone through." Kaldur said.

"I managed to bring him topside, but when Robin moved to assist him…" Kaldur couldn't finish, shaking his head.

Batman stepped forward. "We've run an on the spot analysis of his blood. It appears that they were feeding him nitrogen, invigorating his ice powers so he could feed the machine, while the inhibitor collar he wore kept him weak enough to not be able to defend or release himself once he was in the air. From what we could glean from him, it was his father who did this to him. However, Hugo Strange reports that none of the villains had left their cells during the crisis." He reported.

"Then he's LYING!" Artemis shouted angrily, stepping forward.

"I have considered that possibility." Batman said. "But until we can bring forth evidence that proves otherwise, we cannot accuse him of the crime. Until then, we must continue in our observations and move forward."

"Is he going to be okay?" Robin asked quietly, looking up at his mentor.

"You may visit him in the infirmary now if you wish." Batman said, nodding. The entire team fled the room.

()()()()()()()

Black Canary was quietly stroking Cameron's hair as she sat in the bed with him. He had loosened his grip on her jacket, and was now relaxed in sleep. Granted if she started to move away from him, he tightened his grip on her coat once more. So, now they were on the bed, Cameron's head leaning against her shoulder as she carded her fingers through his locks, rubbing comforting circles in his back.

"Oh…"

Black Canary looked up, seeing the team standing in front of the infirmary door. She smiled wearily. "You can come in. He just fell asleep."

They shuffled, then slowly filed into the room. Some standing, some pulling over chairs to create a circle around the injured youth. Artemis looked him over. His wrists were swathed in bandages, small spots of blood staining the material. He had a massive bruise along the side of his face, looking like someone had attempted to take him out with a haymaker. His eyes were shadowed, his normally pale skin now looked deathly under the infirmary lights. Little flecks of dried blood stained his dry lips and and if they hadn't seen the teen's chest rising and falling as he lay in Canary's arms, she would have thought he was dead.

They all stood silently, waiting and mourning for their broken friend.

()()()()()()()()

Whew! This was the chapter you and I have all been waiting for folks!

Some explanations may be in order if you're all wondering.

As for how Icicle Senior got out of Jail, in the comics, Icicle Senior made a veritable fortune selling his inventions to the other inmates while in prison. Not to mention it is well known on Young Justice Wikia that Icicle Junior powered one of the ice fortresses. How you ask? Well, that was left up to my imagination to fill that void.

I hope you all enjoyed it! Please read and review and tell me what you liked about it! Love you all!


	14. Broken

Cameron woke up the next day to feel warm arms around him. He opened his eyes, looking around him. He was in the infirmary, and after a quick glance upwards, found out it was Canary who was holding him. She was asleep on the pillow, her arms creating a pleasantly warm cocoon around Cameron's form. He blinked, suddenly realizing he felt like complete and utter crap that had been chased by an attacker wielding a knife only to be hit by a freight train at maximum speed. The memories trickled back once more, and he gave a shiver, closing his eyes as he remembered. Black Canary stirred, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Oh, you're awake." She said, slowly removing her arms from around him. Cameron opened his mouth to speak only to have Black Canary's finger touch his lips. "Ah ah." She said, silencing him. "You've torn some vocal chords after…." She grimaced slightly, glancing at the bandaged wrists. Cameron closed his mouth, his eyes wide. "Anyway," She brushed off the subject. "You're not allowed to speak for the moment, not until they've fully healed." She said. She slid off the bed, and grabbed something out of the side table drawer. "Here." She said, and handed Cameron a notepad and pencil. "You can use this until I give your voice the okay."

He nodded, and took the notepad into his lap. He placed the pencil to the pad, and paused. Slowly, he shook his head, and placed the pencil and pen back on the table. He turned onto his side and pulled the blankets around his shoulders.

Black Canary frowned sadly. She walked to his side, and placed the call button on the table. "If you need anything, a glass of water, a change of clothes, anything." She emphasized. "You use this. You remember right?" She said, holding up the button for Cameron to see. He glanced at it, and nodded against the pillow, closing his eyes.

"I'll let you get some rest." She said, and walked out, turning off the lights as she went.

She didn't see the single teardrop that slid across the bridge of Cameron's nose as it dripped onto the pillow.

()()()()()()()

Artemis let out a harsh battle cry, flipping and ducking through Kaldur's attacks. She punched, growling as he ducked. Zatanna jumped in as well, forcing Kaldur to work harder to avoid getting hit. Zatanna kicked with her boot, only to have Aqualad catch it with a webbed hand, and sweeping her other leg to the ground. Artemis made knee him in the chest, and Kaldur leaned back, the joint meeting thin air. He grabbed it before Artemis could pull back, and sent her tumbling onto her side, the sensor pad wailing as her score fell slightly.

"Alright, that's enough for today." Batman said, shutting off the spar session's timer. Kaldur let go of the girls legs, and offered them both a hand. Artemis grunted, getting back up on her feet. She was off her game, she could tell. But who could blame her? _With Cam having gone through….. _She took a breath, closing her eyes and cutting off that train of thought.

She walked over to the sidelines, where Robin, M'gann, Superboy, and Kid Flash were standing, also looking despondent. She could feel Batman's calculating gaze looking over them all. "You're all free to go now." He said, watching as the team slowly wandered away.

Artemis sighed, turning and walking towards the kitchen. She was having a depressing craving for ice cream and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to fulfill it. To tell the truth she was only half surprised to find most of the team in the kitchen, M'gann busy making a goodie of some sort half-heartedly while the other team either stood around or were flopped over in a chair or seat on the couch. It was way too similar to the aftermath of the mental exercise gone wrong than she was comfortable with. She made a beeline towards the refrigerator, opening the freezer before snatching up a pint of Ben and Jerry's coffee ice cream. She grabbed a spoon from a nearby drawer and promptly began to scoop the expresso flavored ice cream into her mouth.

"Hey, I was going to eat that." Wally said, suddenly taking notice of Artemis eating out of the container.

"You know what? Screw you Wally." She snapped, pulling the spoon out of her mouth. "I'm not in the mood for your piggish attitude."

Wally's eyes widened at the sudden attitude change. "Woah, sorry. You can have it." He said, raising his hands up in surrender.

"Come on guys. Let's not fight." Robin said, glancing between the two wearily.

Artemis dropped the spoon into the ice cream, and rubbed her temple. "I'm sorry, I'm just….."

"We're all worried." Kaldur said, causing the Team to turn around and look at him. "I said that this will never happen again, and I didn't mean just to him. We must make sure something like this never happens to anyone ever again." He said, looking all of them in the eyes. "That means we're going to have to change things around a bit." Kaldur announced. "Right now, Cameron is a high profile target thanks to the connections he has to his criminal background. So, one of us must stay with him at all times."

"But what if we're on a mission?" M'gann asked, pausing in her motions.

"The same applies until the situation develops otherwise." Aqualad explained.

"So, basically the entire team has to play bodyguard?" Superboy asked, sounding concerned.

"Unless you want to repeat this experience?" Kaldur said. "We must protect our own."

()()()()()()()

Cameron's ear twitched when the door to the infirmary opened, and blinked rapidly when Zatanna turned on the lights. He shifted, pulling the blankets higher around his cold frame as she sat down on the bed behind him. Zatanna glanced down at her hands uncomfortably

"I…didn't really get a chance to thank you for your offer…." Zatanna began, glancing at Cameron's back. "To….take the place of my dad…..?"

Cameron stiffened slightly, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rise slightly. "I'm sorry, that sounded wrong…" Zatanna apologized, picking up on his discomfort. "What I meant to say was, thank you for trying to save my father." She explained. "I know that you must be really upset and hurting right now, but I want you to know that the good you've done does count."

Cameron pinched his lips, feeling his eyes begin to burn.

"You're a good person Cameron. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Zatanna continued, and paused.

"….The Team really cares about you, you know." She said quietly. "We're all really worried about you."

Cameron turned onto his back, and shakily, painfully sat himself up, the red splotches on his bandaged wrists expanding in size slightly. He grunted, and then hissed, collapsing back into his pillow as he pulled his wrists out from under him. "Oh, Cam…." Zatanna said, quickly standing up and moving over to examine the appendage.

He winced, and reached his free hand over to grab the notepad off of the side table. He pulled his hand free of her grip and scribbled down a message, his fingers trembling slightly as he handed it to the young magician.

She took it from him, and glanced down, reading the message. "Black Canary told me I've lost my voice for the moment. So, I have to write instead. I'm fine. Really. So stop worrying about me." She read aloud. Zatanna looked back up at the snowy haired teen. "Cameron. You can tell me anything. I won't speak a word to anyone." She said. "Just let me help you."

Cameron shook his head, setting his jaw, unknowingly making the fading red flecks on his lips more prominent as he did so.

Zatanna sighed, sitting back. "Can you at least tell me where you were yesterday morning? He obviously didn't steal you out of the cave." She said, looking at him in concern.

Cameron paused, considering. He took the notepad back from Zatanna, and scribbled his answer.

"I was in Manhattan…Why were you in Manhattan?" She asked, looking up at him in surprise.

Cameron's pale hands gripped the blanket in his lap. "You can tell me." Zatanna urged, pressing the notepad back into his hands. He didn't respond for a second, looking conflicted. He wrote the answer down on the paper, and handed it back to her, not looking at her. Zatanna looked at him in concern, and took the notepad back holding it in her petite hands. Her eyes widened in surprise.

_I was visiting Greta's grave. _

"Cam." She said, touching his cold arm. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about." Cameron choked, wiping his eyes as they began to water. He snatched back the notepad, the pencil scratching against paper rapidly. Zatanna turned to watch him write over his shoulder.

_He was spying on me the whole time. He knew that I was going to visit her grave. He…_

The rest of the words became warped and smeared as tears began to stain the notepad. Zatanna looked over at him, seeing the former criminal holding a hand over his eyes as he struggled to keep it inside. He angrily threw the notepad and pencil across the room. She turned and hugged him, uncaring of the cool skin that perforated through her fleece. "It's okay Cam." She said, leaning her head against his. "Let it go."

He put up a strong fight, gasping and trying to breathe normally. But as she began to whisper comforting nothings and urging him to let it out, he eventually caved, letting the tears fall as he cried.

That was the scene Artemis walked in on a few minutes later, and quickly joined Cameron's side at the infirmary bed. "Cam, it's okay." She said, touching his shoulder as Zatanna loosened her hold, giving her more room. "What happened?" She asked Zatanna. Zatanna reached over and handed her the notepad, resuming her comforting towards Cameron as Artemis read it over.

She looked back at Cameron, her eyes pained. "Zatanna, you bring this to Batman. I'll take over from here." Artemis ordered, handing the magician the notebook.

Zatanna nodded, and carefully removed herself from Cameron's arms, which had turned to hug her back a short while ago. "I'll be right back." She promised, and quickly jogged out the door.

"Cam?" Artemis said softly, and took his hand to get his attention. "How're you feeling?" Artemis asked.

Cameron scoffed, trying to rub his eyes free of tears as he calmed down. _I feel like a big crybaby, that's what I feel like._ He thought bitterly.

"Listen, we're going to get back at your dad for this. We're going to make sure of that." She continued, lifting his chin to look at her. "I'll tear down Belle Reve if I have to to get evidence. He won't get away with this."

Cameron sighed, and looked up at Artemis. He forced himself to quirk a smile for her. _She won't find a damn scrap of evidence. But if pretending I'm more okay than I am makes her happy? So be it. _

Artemis smiled back.

()()()()()()()


	15. Self Image

()()()()()()()

Cameron sat in his room. He had been released after a few days from the medical center, his throat fully recovered now, though strained when he tried to raise his voice. Everyone had been giving him looks, but they weren't like the looks they gave him when he first arrived.

They were worse.

Cameron rubbed his face and cheeks, trying to ease the tension that had taken up residence in his skin. So far, his pretending to be okay only half worked, on the guys at least. Zatanna was still looking at him worriedly, and Artemis always stood close, offering her presence when he felt particularly weak. _Which has been a lot more frequent than I'd like. _

He froze with a hand rubbing his forehead, feeling something on his wrist brush his nose. He pulled back, and grimaced at the deep scar that was now formed over both of his wrists. The needles had left a deep wound, and the large bump of a scar that had risen over it was a deep bruised purple with blue veins standing vividly against it. He forced himself to look away, desperately glancing around the room for something else to find his attention. But the empty book cases and empty mustard colored walls left little comfort to draw from, and Cameron couldn't help but feel how…..empty the room was.

Cameron stared down at his bed sheets, a thick dark blue quilt, a fluffy white duvet at the foot of it, soft linen sheets, and a cozy white pillow at the head. Suddenly, the room felt foreign to him, like, he had suddenly wandered into someone's guest bedroom and was weakly trying to claim it as his own.

_So, you're suddenly too good or your old man now? Got yourself a warm bed, a team of junior policemen at your disposal?_ His father's word echoed quietly in his ear. He shivered, and curled his hands into fists.

"Robin, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Icicle Junior, report for mission briefing." Batman's voice called over the intercom.

Cameron slowly stood up, his back stiff from sitting on his bed for so long. And walked away.

()()()()()()()

"Rumaan Harvjati is the democratically elected president of Qurac. Harvjati has been praised as a fair, wise leader. A humanitarian." Batman said, once everyone had lined up in front of the screens, one of them showing a middle eastern man with a passive expression wearing a tailored grey suit.

"Sure, any friend of Bruce Wayne's." Kid Flash murmured to Robin sarcastically.

"But five days ago Harvjati allied himself with the Dictator of the neighboring nation of Bialya, Queen Bee." Batman said, showing a photograph of the regal queen, dressed in black and gold.

Superboy scoffed. "Not a fan."

"Few are." Batman allowed "But Harvjati suddenly backs up Queen Bee's baseless claim that Qurac and Bialya were one nation in ancient times, and has announced that the countries will reunify in two days at a ceremony in Qurac."

The screen pulled up a video of the press conference announcement. "After the ceremony I will step down as president, so that our rightful monarch Queen Bee will rule." Harvjati announced, looking out almost blankly across the audience. Another video, apparently in response to the president's news rose showing the Queen.

"I applaud President Harvjati for reuniting our peoples, and I will gladly come to Qurac to be crowned sole leader of our nations." Queen Bee said, smiling widely at the cameras.

"And the Quraqis are okay with this?!" Kid Flash asked incredulously, looking at the others. Cameron stayed silent, looking up at the criminal queen.

"Hardly." Batman said, and turned back to the screen, which began showing slides of protests and marches of the middle eastern peoples holding signs and crying out. "They are well aware of the brutality of Queen Bee's regime. But Harvjati has censored the press, silenced all legitimate protest, and invited the Bialyan military into his country to enforce martial law."

"Queen Bee has to be controlling Harvjati." Robin concluded, looking up at the screen. "Doesn't she have the power to enthrall most men?"

"And some women, but not long distance and we've gotten confirmation she hasn't left Bialya." Batman responded. "Something else is at work here. Find out **what**." He turned to his apprentice. "Robin, you're team leader."

Robin looked up, startled. "Promotion! Sa-weet!" Kid Flash said, holding up his hand for Robin to hi-five. But Robin didn't even glance at him.

"Me? What about Aqualad?" Robin asked, stepping closer to his mentor.

"Busy helping Aquaman." Batman replied, not missing a beat. "You're the next logical choice."

"Great…" Robin muttered, placing a gloved hand on his belt.

"Dude. Left me hanging?" Kid Flash said, gesturing to his hand which was still held up in the air.

They all turned to leave, until Batman took Cameron's forearm. He jumped, but luckily didn't spike up at the contact. "Are you positive you're prepared for this mission?" Batman asked, his expression hard. Cameron blinked, and slowly felt himself nod, suddenly grateful the Dark Knight had chosen to choose an area further above his newly formed scars. Batman's eyes didn't move, but Cameron could feel the man's eyes scanning him for weakness. He squared up his shoulders a little more and swallowed, trying to stare him back in the eye. It was silent for a few seconds before Batman loosened his grip, letting Cameron's arm fall. "Call us if you need assistance." He said and stepped back, letting his black cape drape itself around his form.

Cameron nodded, then swallowed dryly as he turned back around.

He knew he wasn't talking about the mission.

()()()()()()()

Cameron looked out the windows as the flew across the atmosphere, clouds drifting by the windows like smoke.

"We're right above the Qurac and Bialya border." Robin announced, as they flew over the pastures where wild wildebeests were grazing.

"A border the Biyalians are in the process of ignoring." Kid Flash said, glaring down at the fields below where military tanks quickly began to crush a nearby barbed fence in favor of moving into the Quraqi field. The Wildebeests below spooked, and quickly began to trample away from the perceived threat.

"No opposition." Superboy observed. "I guess Harvjati really is in alliance with Bialya."

"I wouldn't expect opposition here." Robin replied, and Cameron glanced over to see he had pulled up a map on his holo-watch. "It's an animal sanctuary."

"The _**Logan**_ animal sanctuary?!" M'gann said suddenly, looking at Robin in surprise.

Robin turned to her. "You've heard of it?"

Kid Flash turned and looked out of the window. "Guys, tanks have started a stampede." He said, his night vision on his goggles activated. "With civilians in harms way!"

"I see them." Superboy said, moving to look over Kid Flash's shoulder. "A woman and a small boy."

"We have to help them!" M'gann said.

"We're way off mission here." Robin commented solemnly, and glanced away. He turned back to them. "Deploy, but in stealth mode! If the bialyans know we're here it becomes an international incident."

M'gann nodded, and Cameron unbuckled his seatbelt.

()()()()()()()

M'gann quickly blasted away at the tank, causing it to swerve and crash into the tank next to it. The ground soldiers below ran over and moved to help the tank, while others raised their guns to the savannah around them. A birdarang stabbed itself into the grass between the ranks, and hissed as it released billowing smoke. The soldiers coughed and sputtered, before a moving black blur knocked them away, ripping the guns off of their person as they did so.

Soldiers scattered and ran at the warning shots M'gann fired after them. M'gann opened a makeshift hatch in the side of the ship, and Superboy and Cameron dropped out of the sky. They landed in front of the two civilians and the young gazelle they had just been tending to. Superboy literally grabbed a wildebeest by its horns, and skidded back slightly, before digging in his heels and throwing the beast down onto its side. Cameron, wearing his full ice armor created a v shaped shield in front of superboy to help divert the animals away from the mother and child. Suddenly, there was a loud baying cry behind him.

"Orik!" The little red haired boy yelled, as the gazelle calf skidded on its hooves before darting away into the fray of wildebeests. Suddenly the animal began to levitate into the air, its thin gangly legs hanging limply in mid air. Finally, the rest of the herd had passed, leaving thin dust clouds in their wake. "Woah…." the kid murmured, still staring at the floating gazelle.

"Are you both alright?" Robin asked, silently dropping into a crouch behind them. Kid Flash sped over, tossing an armful of automatics to the side and lifting his goggles with a cocky smile as Robin stood.

The kid's jaw dropped, and he turned to his mother excitedly. "Mom! Mom! Mom! We just got saved by Robin _and Kid Flash_!" He said, his large blue eyes staring up in awe at the teen heroes.

"Well, Superboy, Cameron, and M'gann helped too." Kid Flash said, idly gesturing to where M'gann was levitating the african deer to the ground. Cameron stood near the back, feeling the woman's gaze lock onto him at his name.

"Orik!" The boy yelled, hurrying over to the tiny gazelle, hugging it around its neck.

"We diverted the Bialyans around the sanctuary. You should be safe now." Robin reported

"Uh, yeah. Should be safe now Miss M." Kid Flash said, glancing over his shoulder at the camouflaged martian. "You can de-camo now." Cameron turned, raising an eyebrow at where he assumed the invisible martian was.

She faded into existence, pulling her long red hair out of her hood. "H-Hi." She said, smiling shyly at the two. The little boy smiled.

"You may have made things worse." The mother responded, regardless of Robin's words. "Bialyan border crossings are a way of life here. Usually they wreck a few fences and move on. Engaging them might have made us a target." She said, crossing her arms sternly.

"_Mom_…." The boy drew out the word pointedly. "_Not cool_." The gazelle, having apparently grown bored with the conversation, slowly wandered off.

The woman sighed, her arms falling at her sides. "I'm sorry, I should thank you." She said, and placed a hand on the boy's narrow shoulder. "This is my son Garfield, and I'm-"

"Marie Logan!" M'gann cut in excitedly. "I can't believe I'm meeting you in person!"

There was a loud grunt from the wildebeest that had just stumbled out of the crater Superboy had made with its body. Marie hurried over to it, steadying it as it swayed. "The oryx is sick and I think you injured this Wildebeest." She said, looking back at Superboy.

"Uh….sorry?" He apologized, though he looked honestly confused at the accusation.

"I suppose it was unavoidable." She sighed, as the Wildebeest steadied itself before slowly lumbering away. "But both need to go to our clinic."

"The Boys can do that!" M'gann said immediately, clasping her hands to her chest. "We can uh-" she glanced around. "fix your fences!" She said, smiling brightly.

"That's not exactly our-" Robin began.

"Robin!" She said, clasping her hands simultaneously as Garfield turned to his mother.

"Please Mom!" He begged, pulling on the edge of her khaki jacket.

Robin and Marie sighed simultaneously. "Fine." They said.

"Yes!" M'gann and Garfield cheered.

Cameron glanced over at Superboy, who merely shrugged before moving back towards the bioship.

()()()()()()()

The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon when they finally arrived at the ranch. Cameron had just turned away to look at one of the large tractors they had parked nearby when he heard a loud screech. He whipped around, razor sharp ice spikes erupting from his spine and hands.

A small green furred monkey hopped off of Superboy's shoulder and onto Kid Flash, scurrying around his shoulders and arms, and scurried away onto Logan. The small red head laughed as the monkey clung to his shoulder, clutching Kid's candy in its tiny paws. "It's okay! Meet Monkey!" He said, as the monkey bit into the chocolate bar messily. Cameron let out a shuddering deep breath, and forced himself to relax, letting the thin ice blades fall onto the dried dusty earth.

"Good name. But I hate monkeys." Superboy said, and the monkey quickly launched the candy at his head before screeching loudly on Garfield's shoulder.

"Looks like monkeys hate Superboy." Robin quirked.

"Dude, be glad he only threw a protein bar." Kid Flash said with a smirk.

"Ugh, that's gross Kid." Cameron said, scrunching up his nose at the joke.

They walked into the house, Robin and Cameron gratefully sitting down on the clean furniture.

"So, pretty rude about Miss Martian and my mom huh?" Garfield said casually.

"What do you mean?" Superboy asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against one of the armchairs.

"I mean she looks exactly like Marie! You know, except greener." Garfield explained, as the monkey began to chew idly on his shoulder.

"She does?" Kid Flash asked skeptically. Cameron glanced around, feeling more and more like he was in the middle of a tennis match.

"Well duh! Especially back when she was a TV star on Hello Megan!" He said, smiling proudly.

Cameron's ears perked. "Wait, Hello Megan is a TV show?" Kid Flash asked, exchanging a glance with Robin.

"I just thought it was something she said all the time…" Robin said, looking more confused.

"Yeah, on the TV show." Garfield said. "Way before we were born." He said as the monkey hopped off his shoulder.

"Only one season! You can't even find it online!" He explained as he turned, glancing down at the old VHS tapes laying around the dvd and VHS player. "I know Mom said she had a tape around here somewhere…." He trailed off as his gaze looked at the videos scattered around the tape player.

()()()()()()()

"Hello Megan! The Pilot episode!" Garfield said, holding up the tape triumphantly before carefully blowing the dust off of it. He pushed the tape into the VHS player.

"Woah! You still have VHS? Where's your a-track?" Kid Flash joked, leaning against the armchair. Cameron rolled his eyes, before turning to look back at the screen.

Superboy suddenly turned, tilting his head. "Wait!" He said. "Aircraft. Headed this way." He said, quickly jogged out of the door.

"Gar, _stay put_." Robin ordered, as the red haired boy sat with a surprised expression on his face.

Cameron, feeling bad for the kid, turned to him. "We'll be right back!" He said, offering a smile before darting out the door after the others.

Superboy stopped in the yard, turning to look at M'gann and Marie who had just gotten back from fixing the fence.

"What is it?" She asked, before the sound of plane engines echoed overhead. They glanced up in surprise in horror as a fighter plane suddenly unleashed a hail of bullets from its mounted machine gun.

M'gann tackled Marrie to the ground, Superboy moving to stand over them as a living shield. As soon as the plane had flown over them, Marie stood back up, grasping Superboy's shoulder. "Where's my son?!" She demanded, her eyes wide with a mother's fear.

"I ordered him to stay inside." Robin said, arriving on the porch.

"He's eight! He doesn't do orders!" She said, and Cameron turned in horror to see that the doors to the Barn across the way were opening.

"MOM!" He shouted, waving from the doors as the oryx and wildebeest ran. "It's okay! I got the animals out!" He shouted.

Suddenly, more shots rang out, and one of them struck the oil tank next to the barn. It erupted, and the barn exploded, wood and debris scattering and the boy vanished in the eruption of ash and smoke.

"GARFIELD!" Marie screamed, reaching out towards her son as the barn exploded. Superboy grabbed her, holding her back from trying to enter the fire herself. M'gann soared through the air, catching the boy as the barn door suddenly launched itself out of the smoke.

She floated down and quickly handed the small child back to his mother, Marie cradling him in her arms. Garfield groaned, his face pinching in pain. The planes turned around, swerving back towards the small sanctuary.

"I told you there'd be consequences!" Marie said, her voice choked with fear and held back tears. Cameron stiffened, even as Superboy and M'gann ran off to fight the enemy.

"Always." Robin said softly. "Let's get him inside."

Cameron turned and glared at the planes, letting the ice crackle across his skin. _They won't get a second shot. Not if I can help it._ Superboy leapt up into the air, punching the plane at its nose and causing it to implode. Cameron snarled, his arm temporarily doubling in side before he launched an enormous spike into the air, letting it spear through the planes hull. It erupted into flame, beginning to take a nosedive as it fell. But M'gann had over plans. She grabbed the other plane, and also forced it into a nose dive before crashing into Cameron's plane, both of them shattering upon impact. Cameron carefully watched for any large pieces of wreckage in case they decided to crash into the house, but luckily, there was none.

Superboy crashed into the ground nearby, and quickly stood as M'gann landed. "Let's go check on Garfield." Cameron said, and without another word, darted into the house.

()()()()()()()

They found Marie and Robin in what was assumed to be Garfield's room, seeing as there were posters and comic books laying around the room. Marie had put on a pair of glasses and was wearing a stethoscope. "He's gone into shock." She said, as the rest of the team made it into the room. "He needs a blood transfusion now." She said, and if anything, her expression grew more tense and frightened.

"Are any of you O negative?" She asked.

Robin opened up his computer database. "No."

"Sorry…." Kid Flash apologized.

Marie looked at Cameron.

"I…I don't know my blood type." He admitted, looking away.

"Neither am I." She sighed, looking away. "It's the hardest to match. I kept a supply in the clinic."

"I can run him to the nearest hospital." Kid Flash said, stepping forward.

"The nearest hospital with a guaranteed type O blood supply is half an hour away at your top speed. Even slower by bioship." Robin said, looking down at his watch.

"He doesn't have that much time." Marie said. Cameron couldn't help but notice how the lines in her face almost seemed to deepen with anxiety. _His father had never looked at __**him**__ that way and now…._ A pang went through his chest, and he touched his wrist, where his scars gave a phantom throb of pain. "What's Superboy's blood type?" She asked, turning back to robin.

"He's kryptonian. And Miss Martian-"

"Might be able to help…." Cameron turned to see M'gann standing in the doorway, looking slightly nervous. "My shapeshifting occurs at a cellular level. I think I can morph my blood to match his." She suggested softly, stepping up to Garfield's side.

"Please, try." Marie begged, grasping M'gann's arm. There was another hollow pang in Cameron's chest, and he forced himself to look away, feeling a sizable lump form in his throat.

"I'll need to concentrate. No distractions." M'gann said, placing a finger on her temple. Marie nodded.

"Out. All of you. Out." She said, her voice slightly choked. Cameron glanced over at Garfield's small broken form once more before moving out of the room, suddenly feeling very empty inside.

They shuffled out into the living room, plopping down wearily into the seats. "And on top of all this, Harvjati is stepping down _**tomorrow**_, subjecting all of Quraq to this danger." He said, and anxiously pushed his bangs back, only to have the black strands tumble back down. "KF, can you find a news station?" He asked, desperate for a distraction.

"Sure, which remote is it?" He asked, and clicked one of the two remotes in his hands.

Suddenly, a 70's theme song started to play on the tv, and a sign reading 'Hello Megan' rose onto the screen. A tall girl with red hair identical to M'gann's human form began to cheerlead and go through the introduction sequence. Cameron froze, half shocked half horrified to see M'gann/Marie dancing around on screen on what appeared to be a ridiculously cheesy 70's sitcom. Superboy and Robin stood, quickly moving closer to the screen.

"Maybe it's a coincidence….." Superboy suggested weakly, glancing at the other teens.

"Hello Megan!" M'gann/Marie said on screen, and darted down the stairs to open the front door. The audience clapped as the actor on the other side of the door revealed himself. "Connor!" Megan said, hugging the teen. "I thought you'd never get here!"

Superboy scowled and crossed his arms, glaring away from the group. "Yeah, total coincidence." Kid whispered to Robin.

"It's done." M'gann said, stepping out behind them from the back hall.

Cameron looked at her, and glanced back at the TV set, then back at her. _Nope, identical. _

"All we can do now is wait." She said, apparently not having noticed their expressions. Kid Flash scrambled and fiddled with the remotes for a few seconds before managing to turn on the television.

"My fellow Quraqis." Harvjati began.

"Is that Harvjati?" M'gann asked, stepping closer to the television.

"Queen Bee's rule is a gift to Quraq." He said.

"Hey! That guy in back, I know him!" Superboy said, his hands curling into fists.

Robin opened up his holo watch, using it to zoom in on the screen. "It's Psimon!" M'gann said. "The psychic we fought last time we were in Bialya."

Cameron tried to search his memory of any past dealings with this hooded dude, but couldn't remember any pasty faced man in a hood. _If anything, that means this guy is in the upper ranks of the criminal world if Dad hasn't-_ His throat choked, and he quickly cut off that train of thought.

"He was working for Queen Bee then, he must be controlling Harvjati for her now." M'gann continued.

Kid Flash slapped himself in the forehead. "Ugh, I still remember the headache he gave me when he brain blasted us."

"What?" Cameron asked, looking at Kid Flash.

"We lost our memories, but that's besides the point." Robin said, turning off the holo watch. "We have to get Harvjati away from him."

Suddenly, Marie stepped into the living room. "I think it worked." She said, her voice heavy with relief. "He's stable."

"Good. Because we have our mission." Robin said, his expression hard with determination.

()()()()()()()

They arrived in Dhabar around midnight, the night assisting in hiding the bioship as the Bialyan tanks and soldiers began to move towards the government complex.

Superboy, Robin, Kid Flash, M'gann, and Cameron crawled through some of the air ducts to Harvjati's office. Robin carefully slid a spy camera down through the grates, and checked for security. _Harvjati is alone. _Robin said, and quickly knocked out the grate, allowing the five of them to drop into the office.

Robin stepped over to the chair, standing next to Harvjati as he turned to look at him. "Where is my daughter?" The arabic man asked, his eyes glazed. He blinked, and rubbed his forehead. "Where is Psimon?" He asked, sounding a little more clear headed that time.

"Forget him." Robin said. "Let's get you out of here."

Then, without warning, a troop of soldiers burst out of all of the doors, holding red glowing weapons, all pointed at the teen heroes.

A Bialyan general stepped out from behind the soldiers. "Well well, American heroes." He mocked, glancing them over. "Here to assassinate the president." He added. "Such a shame we arrived too late to stop them…" He said, not sounding very apologetic at all.

_Those are apocolyptan weapons. _Superboy said, glancing around at the angry red glow of the weaponry.

_Which they'll use to kill Harvjati, they blame us, and Queen Bee gets to rule Quraq._ Robin said. Protect the president.

_I found Psimon!_ M'gann explained, the faint blurred outline of her figure disappearing into the hallway's shadows.

_WAIT_ Robin called after her.

_I'll go after her._ Superboy moved to follow, tensing his muscles.

_No! The mission is Harvjati._ Robin said, tensing as the soldiers shifted around them. Cameron clenched his fists, his hair glowing softly in the pale moonlight shining through the window.

Robin nodded to Kid Flash, who in turn darted towards the soldiers, bouncing off of them like a pingpong ball, knocking them away. Cameron's skin erupted in ice, thankfully saving him from a hot blow to the head from a apocolyptan baton, merely sending up steam where the ice had been nicked. He shot out ice beams, freezing soldiers to the floor and freezing the weapons till they stopped working.

Superboy leapt into battle, breaking the red glowing weapons and nearly breaking soldier's jaws with his fists. Robin weaved through the battle, swinging his bo-staff as only an expert could and sweeping his opponents off of their feet. A soldier, who was holding Harjavti's daughter hostage as the fight broke out, dropped her as Cameron froze his legs.

She hurried over to her father, holding him tightly as Superboy dropped the last of the defeated opponents to the floor. She leaned back, turning to the teens. "Thank you for taking care of my father. We will take care of him now." She said, holding his hand.

Robin nodded, and turned, the team darting after him down the hall M'gann had vanished through. M'gann, we're coming! Superboy called, and suddenly, Cameron cried out, feeling a sharp stabbing pain in his temples and fell, his vision going dark….

()()()()()()()

Cameron groaned, feeling a deep, violent throbbing in his skull. He laid on the ground, not even wanting to get up.

"And there's the headache." Kid Flash said, and Cameron flinched. His voice was even louder than usual, and quite frankly, it felt like someone was attempting to stab his eardrums.

"Psimon?" Robin asked, Cameron hearing the scuffing of the carpet as he moved.

"He brain blasted you, I stopped him." M'gann explained, her voice echoing in the theater.

"I don't think you did…." Cameron said, and made a vain attempt at massaging his temples.

"Do any of you have any Advil?"

()()()()()()()

Cameron stood in the ruined remains of Harvjati's office, quietly nursing his headache as it continued its plague long after everyone else's had faded. They turned as 'Queen Bee' stepped through the door, before she faded away to reveal M'gann's warm face and form.

"Sorry about making you lie to everyone like that. I couldn't think of any other way to convince the _public_ Queen Bee was behind it.

"Dude!" Kid Flash said, punching his friend in the shoulder "Saving a country, that's a pretty big win for your first turn as **leader**."

"Yeah, thanks…." Robin said, rubbing his shoulder halfheartedly.

Cameron sighed. "Okay, forget you guys." He said, and turned to Harvjati. "You can't be a president of a country and not have a few pills hidden in your desk somewhere."

()()()()()()()

"-And I assure you, the Wayne Foundation is here to do whatever it can to help you and your people, rebuild Quraq." Bruce Wayne said, shaking hands with the Quraqi president.

Marie Logan turned off the TV, the rest of the team turning to each other as the screen turned black.

"Gee, Bruce Wayne sure got here fast." Kid Flash commented, from his spot behind Robin's chair. "Almost like he knew-" He grunted as Robin sharply elbowed him in the stomach.

"Don't you have a souvenir to collect or something?" Robin asked, folding his arms behind his head.

"Hello Megan!" He laughed, zipping over to the TV set and picking up the cassette tape. "Something you'd like to tell us?" Wally asked pointedly.

She glanced around at the others, her gaze lingering on Cameron for a second. Cameron did his best to give her an 'it's okay' expression.

She sighed, her gaze falling on her lap. "Growing up on Mars was….not a happy time for me. But I started watching the broadcast my uncle sent from earth, to teach us about our sister planet. When I saw Hello Megan, something just….clicked. Maybe it was the similarities of our names, maybe it was the way Megan's problems could be solved in _22 minutes_. All I know for sure is that Megan helped me smile through a lonely childhood." She said. "So, when I came to earth, and had to adopt a human form, I chose you." She explained, looking up at Marie who smiled appreciatively.

"Well, Megan…." She amended with a soft smile.

"Which begs the question… What do you really look like?" Robin asked, leaning forward.

Cameron glanced between them.

"You don't have to show us if you're really uncomfortable." Cameron offered, getting the feeling that this was an uncomfortable subject for her.

She shook her head sadly, and slowly stood. Her hair vanished, and her brows stood heavier against her head.

"Bald M'gann." Kid Flash Commented. "_Still hot._" he whispered loudly.

Superboy stood, and walked over to his girlfriend taking her hands in his. "You know you don't have to put a mask on for me." He said, looking into her brown eyes.

"I do it for me." She said, stepping back and hugging herself as her hair and Megan features returned. "This is who I am, inside." She turned to Marie. "Please be mad." She whispered.

"Mad?" Marie asked and stepped forward. "I'm honored. M'gann, you saved my son, he says he's your blood brother now." She laughed. "And I agree. You're family."

M'gann quickly ran over and hugged the woman. "Thank you, you have no idea what that means to me…" She said.

Cameron glanced away, feeling his heart grow cold as his headache began to throb once more...

()()()()()()()

Alright! I'm so, so sorry for the wait up guys! Life caught up with me, currently running around like a madman everyday looking for a part time job.

Please forgive me! I'll try to keep up, but it may be a little while longer between chapters now, but I'll do my best to keep quick about it!

Read and Review! Please and thank you!


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